DPAC Northern Ireland

Dear Minister Kimmins

We demand free transport concessions for Disabled people in Northern Ireland

We, the undersigned, represent disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, allies and advocacy groups. We are joining activists from SPEC and HalfFareUnfair in calling on the Minister for Infrastructure to make the current half fare concession a free concession for all eligible disabled individuals across Northern Ireland.

Access to travel is essential

Accessible transport and travel are essential for disabled people to live our lives with dignity, independence and on an equal basis to others. Despite recent improvements, disabled people still face multiple barriers to travel and make 44% fewer journeys than non-disabled people. The government must do more to remove the barriers that exclude us, including reducing the cost of travel.

Northern Ireland is an outlier around travel concessions

Northern Ireland is the only the part of the UK and Ireland that does not offer disabled people free travel concessions. The disparity in travel concessions available to disabled people in Northern Ireland and every other part of these islands is unacceptable and change is long overdue.

The current scheme fails to address cost as a barrier

Most disabled people here can only avail of a half fare concession on single tickets, a concession that offers minimal savings or some cases costs more than other ticketing options. Disabled people and their families are more likely to live in poverty than non-disabled people and we have been particularly impacted by the cost of living crisis. The current half fare concession clearly fails in the stated aim of Scheme, addressing the social exclusion experienced by disabled people.

Our ask

The current half fare concession for disabled people is both unfair and ineffective. Making it a free concession would be a major step forward, addressing a long-standing inequality between disabled people living here compared to other parts of these islands. A relatively small investment by the government will have a significant impact on the lives of disabled people and will reduce costs for other parts of Government.

We urge you as Minister for Infrastructure, and the entire Executive, to act now to fix a scheme that doesn’t work for disabled people, unlocking greater freedom for us to travel, to participate and to live on an equal basis with others.

Sincerely,

SmartPass Equality Campaign (SPEC)

HalfFareUnfair Campaign

Disabled People Against Cuts NI (DPAC NI)

Please sign and share the link widely. We want Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins to receive a clear message that free pass for public transport in Northern Ireland for disabled people is needed. Sign Here.