Transport fares rise by up to 3%

New fares

Bus and rail fares in Northern Ireland are to increase by up to 3%.

For Metro travellers it will mean a 10 pence rise. The minimum fares on Ulsterbus and train services will also be going up by 10 pence on Monday.

Ciarán Rogan of Translink said the increases were unavoidable and encouraged commuters to use multi-journey ticket deals.

"We have worked hard to respond in a balanced way to make sure our customers have money saving choices," he said.

The Consumer Council said that Translink had not done enough to lessen the impact of the latest fares revision on passengers.

Donna Magee, Interim Chief Executive of the Consumer Council said they had been not fully consulted at the outset of the revision process.

FARES BREAKDOWN Metro fares up by 10p Ulsterbus fares up by 10p Rail fares up by 10p No increase in Metro Smartlink No increase Ulsterbus multi-journey Cross border coach fares up 13% Enterprise service up 10%

"The largest increase has been taken off the table but sadly, the extra time has not produced a much better result for bus and rail passengers," she said.

"While we are assured that the overall increases of 2 % on bus fares and 3% on train fares are justified, the way these increases will be applied across their services remains inconsistent."

Transport Minister Conor Murphy said there had been initial concerns about the public transport firm's consultation process with the consumer body.

"Over recent weeks the Consumer Council and Translink have met," he said.

"I am informed that these discussions have been productive and that as a result, a number of changes to specific fares have been agreed.

"I am aware that agreement has not been reached on every specific fare increase proposed, but at this stage I am content that the consultation process has now been as comprehensive as possible."

He said his department was "absolutely committed" to ensuring public transport was "affordable, accessible and efficient".