Young UUP activist Jay Basra says our public transport should do what it says on the tin - transport the public

Mr Basra said it has been highlighted many times before, but their advertising of wanting to be the commuters first choice is simply not true in many parts of Northern Ireland.

“Translink, like many other public transport providers across the globe, has been trying to return to pre-COVID-19 usage levels. In recent years, they have ramped this up by using the tagline of wanting to be the commuters first choice and promoting connectivity.

“They can use these taglines all they wish, but in rural areas where there isn’t an extensive bus service due to a lack of demand, they simply aren’t the commuters first choice. Without a bus service, people are forced to commute by car,” he said in a statement.

“How is Translink assessing demand for bus services in the more rural areas? How can they measure the number of bus tickets sold in areas which are not serviced and therefore aren’t sold in the first place? They aren’t exactly encouraging those who are commuting to work in urban areas to use a bus service, let alone those who work in other rural towns. This can be described as self-fulfilling neglect. The most probable reason is that it would not be profitable to run these routes at a loss; they would, in theory, need to offset their loss in rural areas with the profits in the urban areas.

“Therefore, it would be reasonable to theorise that once usage surpasses that of pre-COVID levels, we may see new services and routes become available. In the meantime, we have seen their use of Park and Rides as a way to reduce congestion in urban areas, by allowing people to park and use a bus service to enter the likes of Lisburn or Belfast, again not necessarily providing an opportunity for those who commute to work. It appears that our public transport service is primarily intended for those who travel for leisure rather than for business or work.

“For Translink to truly be the commuters first choice, they must find a way to compete with motorway usage. In other countries, such as Latvia, which shares a similar population size, citizens there use public transport more often because there is no motorway system, unlike in this country.

“Although realistically, this is something which will only be prioritised when usage surpasses pre- COVID-19 levels. We have seen the new Grand Central Station, but what effect is it having on those in the west? The issue of Rural Public Transport Connectivity is not something that can be fixed overnight, but rather something that needs to be addressed as a long-term goal for Translink. A real strategy must be developed to ensure that our public is being served.

"Consider the money wasted on unwanted, passing passion projects, such as Casement Park; the money estimated for them to host the Euros would have been better spent on improving our infrastructural network. A shift in priorities towards serving the needs of commuters needs to be examined; our public transport should do what it says on the tin. Transport the public.”