Public transport ‘failing to meet people’s needs in rural areas’

The town of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh lies at the end of one of the “spokes” served by the new Belfast Central Station transport hub, but what difference will it make to people in rural areas?

“That’s great for the folks of Belfast, and the people that want to get to Belfast and need to get to Belfast, but for the people that we serve it has little relevance.”

That is the view of Jason Donaghy, the manager of Fermanagh Community Transport.

It is one of 11 organisations across Northern Ireland that deliver a dial-a-lift service through Rural Community Transport Partnerships.

They make about 200,000 journeys a year, transporting people for things like shopping, medical appointments, and senior citizen clubs.

Mr Donaghy believes there is a “fixation on the hub and spoke model” that fails to meet the needs of people in rural areas.

“When are we going to see sufficient equity in rural areas to meet the needs of those people who can’t get to the bus stop?” he asks.

“We’re often told, well you know there’s concessionary passes available but people aren’t using them.

“That’s because there’s no public transport to use them that actually meets the needs of those people.”