Above-inflation price rises have come into effect for public transport across Northern Ireland (NI). Translink has defended the hike, but consumers have been left questioning the move at a time of falling fuel costs.

Prices will increase on NI Rail services by 4.5 per cent, and on UlsterBus routes by four per cent. Metro tickets will go up by ten pence per journey, meaning that an inner-city single in Belfast now costs £1.50. The rate of inflation in December, when the rises were announced, was 1.6 per cent, compared to 1.3 per cent over the course of last year.

Aodhan O’Donnell, the interim chief executive at the Consumer Council, said: "Translink announced broad average fare increases across each of its services but passengers need to be informed about the actual level of increase they will face for the service they use or ticket they buy. Put simply, if Translink are asking passengers to pay more they must be clear with their customers by how much, and for what services.”
However, Translink’s chief executive David Strahan has defended the move, saying that the company only considers price rises as “a last resort”.