Vital community transport service must be maintained

Carla Lockhart MP • March 28, 2023

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has met with representatives of DART, the local community transport provider, to discuss uncertainty with their funding for the next financial year.

After the meeting, Carla said:

“DART provide an essential service to many people locally, particularly those who have no other means of getting around. This can be the case for residents in rural areas who have to get to the doctor, pick up a prescription or get the weekly shopping and have no access to a vehicle.

The Department for Infrastructure have said the funding for this service in the next financial year is uncertain. Only April is being promised and beyond that nothing is guaranteed. That is not good enough, with a cloud of doubt hanging over this essential community service.

I am calling on the Department to step up to provide the necessary finance moving forward to ensure this community transport is maintained moving forward. We need certainty, not just for DART, but also for service users to depend on this service to get from A to B.”

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