Public Transport

Conference notes that:

Translink is facing cuts across both bus and rail networks reducing an already inadequate public transport system for Northern Ireland;

Students, workers and everyday passengers face an increase in the cost of using public transport;

Government spending on public transport per capita in Northern Ireland is among the lowest in the UK; despite the rural nature of NI, just £486 per capita is spent here on public transport, compared to £841 in Scotland, £1,200 in London and £650 on average across the UK;

Cuts proposed will force fare increases for passengers who rely on the fare promotions for affordable public transport access;

Cuts proposed will have an impact on the volume of traffic on the roads with more people opting to use private transport for their commute, increasing carbon emissions; 

Cuts proposed are a massive backward step in developing a public transport model to match the needs of the people of the region;

Cuts proposed open the door for private operators to move in on the more lucrative services such as the 212 service between Derry and Belfast, although private operators will have no desire to provide the essential everyday rural and metro services;

That the huge investment in Belfast Grand central station was promoted as a catalyst to the growth of public transport in the North, built with public funds to enhance the lives of public transport users.

Conference demands that Stormont: -

Reverses the cuts on public transport provision for the region; 

Increases the investment in public transport across all rail and bus provision to at least the UK average;

Expands the rail network in the west of the region to correct regional imbalance;

Introduce the fare structures in other regions which include free bus travel for under 21s;

Return the fuel duty rebate to public transport as is done in other regions;

Increase the EV fleet numbers across the network.

Conference calls on NICICTU to campaign to ensure the investment in public transport provision in NI is realistic in relation to the needs of workers in the region, and to the environmental challenges we face;

Conference also calls on NICICTU to campaign to ensure the provision of public transport is kept out of the hands of the private transport companies currently circling like vultures to pick off the lucrative services in our public transport network and destroy the services so vital to so many of our society