Public concern over further cuts to Mid Ulster bus services

Sparked by a motion on the proposed closure of Cookstown bus station - on which Translink did a U-turn - Mrs Dillon said: “It’s difficult to get the public to use transport that doesn’t meet their needs.

“There has to be a balance got and we have to make sure that Translink take their responsibilities seriously.”

Councillor Cutherbertson, DUP, said members of the public had complained to him about the meeting organised by Translink at Cookstown bus station, where they thought they would be given the chance to ask any questions they had about local transport.

Instead, he said, those who attended were handed a new bus timetable which the UUP’s Councillor Wilson said outlined an “even further reduction in services”.

SDLP representative Tony Quinn said the area was in need of “better transport facilities and timetables”.

From September 1 a number of Mid Ulster bus services will have further reduced services.

A spokesperson for Translink said it is in part a commercial organisation but has worked hard to reduce the impact of recent budget cuts while providing the best value for money for its customers.