New ticketing system may open way for concession fares from Derry to Belfast airports, says top civil servant

The Foyle MLA raised the matter with the Deputy Secretary for Transport and Resources at the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Mr. John Mc Grath, during an evidence session at the Infrastructure Committee at Stormont.

Ms. Anderson said: “I want to talk about concessionary fares in the context of the North West and, for example, my home town of Derry,

“Those who avail of concessionary fares cannot get transport from Derry to the International Airport or to the City Airport, although you can get them from anywhere else in the North.

“Airporter used to provide the service, but they do not have access to the automatic scanning hardware that is used by Translink, and that needs to be looked at if we are to tackle regional inequalities. A city with a population like that of Derry needs that access.”

In response, Mr. Mc Grath said that: “The issue of the Airporter’s accessing that scheme - or it’s leaving the scheme and, perhaps, returning to it - is under discussion because there are audit issues.

“Certainly, when a new ticketing system is fully in place for Translink in a year or so, it will be much easier for others to access it.”

Having offered concessionary travel for twenty years, Airporter withdrew from the scheme in 2018 citing the increased burden of complying with DfI regulations and data protection legislation.

At the time Airporter director Jennifer McKeever told the ‘Journal’ that the company had repeatedly requested access to the automatic scanning hardware used on Translink bus driver consoles but to no avail.