Community transport groups get mini boost

Minister of State, John Spellar, today officially handed over the keys of 14 specially adapted full-access minibuses to community transport organisations.

The minibuses, which were procured by Translink for the Department for Regional Development at a cost of nearly £500,000 from the Executive Programme Fund, will be maintained by the company and operated by community transport organisations, based in both rural and urban areas across Northern Ireland.

At the event, which took place at Malone House in Belfast, the Minister described the day as "another milestone in the development of community transport, supported by the Rural Transport Fund and Transport Programme for People with Disabilities".

He added: “The provision of these vehicles demonstrates our commitment to better access to training, job opportunities, health care, and recreation, to those people in our community who experience mobility difficulties. I believe that, through these programmes, we can tackle the factors which, all too often, lead to social exclusion.”

Welcoming the announcement, Sinn Féin Disability Spokesperson, Geraldine Dougan said the buses "should go someway to supporting the further development of transport initiatives in rural communities".

"In particular they should help to meet the needs of people who are disadvantaged because of mobility problems by living in rural communities," the Mid Ulster MLA added.

The full list of recipients of the minibuses are: Armagh Rural Transport (based in Armagh City, 1 minibus); Bridge Accessible Transport (Londonderry, 2 minibuses); Disability Action Transport (Belfast, 4 minibuses); Dungannon & District Community Transport (Dungannon, 1 minibus); North Antrim Community Transport (Ballycastle, 2 minibuses); Peninsula Community Transport (Kircubbin, 1 minibus); Rural Lift for SW Fermanagh (Belcoo, 1 minibus); and South Antrim Mobility Project (Newtownabbey, 2 minibuses).

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