People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has called on Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins to step in and halt Translink's proposed service cuts and fare increases.
"Translink wants to take every bus and train off the road after 10pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For thousands of people, this is the difference between getting home from a shift and being stranded.”
"To add insult to injury, there are proposals to cut the yLink discount for young people from 50% to 33%, scrap off-peak day returns entirely and hike family and day-out tickets. More than 70,000 evening rail journeys a year will be lost.”
"Shift workers, students, older people, disabled passengers and low income families will pay the price for this austerity. In west Belfast, the 650 Blacks Road Park and Ride won't return in September.”
"The financial position faced by Translink was a disaster of management’s own making. Translink overspent by tens of millions on the £340 million Grand Central Station and splashed £11 million on management fees. The chief executive proposing these cuts earns £191,000 a year. Meanwhile, the North spends just £44.50 per person on public transport; less than half the figure in the South, Scotland or Wales.”
"Passengers shouldn’t be footing the bill for chronic underfunding and mismanagement at the top. Liz Kimmins has the final say over this publicly-owned company and she must intervene. Everyone should respond to this consultation before the closing date on 30th September, and express their opposition in the strongest possible terms.”