AQW 22684/17-22 Written question to the Minister for Infrastructure
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure for a breakdown of the total amount of funding provided through the Rural Transport Fund, broken down by community transport provider and how many passengers availed of the transport provided, for each of the last five years.
Asked by Kellie Armstrong MLA on 17 September 2021
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 17 September 2021
- Answer due by
- 4 October 2021
- Answered
- 27 September 202110 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for Infrastructure
- Priority question
- No
Answer
My Department provides resource funding via the Rural Transport Fund to support eleven rural community transport providers across eight operational areas to deliver Dial-a-Lift (DAL). The tables below show information for each provider over the last five years for resource funding received and the number of active users who availed of DAL.
Rural Transport Fund - Resource Funding
| Transport Provider | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
| CDM * | £443,085 | £442,308 | £431,533 | £417,983 | £422,611 |
| Down District Accessible Transport | £333,543 | £322,975 | £312,758 | £301,787 | £297,120 |
| Easilink Community Transport | £334,000 | £333,414 | £322,867 | £381,690 | £306,723 |
| Fermanagh Community Transport | £350,613 | £349,998 | £338,926 | £326,180 | £321,980 |
| Lagan Valley Rural Transport | £125,587 | £125,366 | £121,400 | £119,064 | £115,330 |
| North Coast Community Transport | £419,122 | £418,387 | £405,152 | £477,194 | £384,894 |
| South Antrim Community Transport | £128,354 | £128,129 | £124,075 | £120,205 | £117,871 |
| Southern Area Partnership** | £310,630 | £310,085 | £300,275 | £294,128 | £285,262 |
| Totals | £2,444,934 | £2,430,663 | £2,356,987 | £2,438,231 | £2,251,792 |
Dial-a-Lift Scheme - Numbers of Individual Users
| Year | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21*** |
| Transport Provider | ActiveUsers (members) | ActiveUsers (members) | ActiveUsers (members) | ActiveUsers (members) | ActiveUsers (members & non-members) |
| CDM ** | 1,186 | 1,142 | 1,013 | 985 | 1,289 |
| Down District Accessible Transport | 381 | 440 | 403 | 436 | 894 |
| Easilink Community Transport | 589 | 558 | 507 | 493 | 2,246 |
| Fermanagh Community Transport | 599 | 585 | 517 | 508 | 1,858 |
| Lagan Valley Rural Transport | 143 | 124 | 123 | 119 | 58 |
| North Coast Community Transport | 916 | 1,040 | 1,093 | 1,008 | 460 |
| South Antrim Community Transport | 343 | 372 | 361 | 318 | 487 |
| Southern Area Partnership *** | 495 | 530 | 492 | 501 | 1,130 |
| Totals | 4,652 | 4,791 | 4,509 | 4,368 | 8,422 |
* CDM incorporates CDM Community Transport & Out and About Community Transport.
** Southern Area Partnership incorporates: Armagh Rural Transport, Down Armagh Rural Transport and Newry & Mourne Community Transport.
*** During 2020/21 the impact of Covid resulted in a reduction in demand for transport. In response to the needs of the local community, community transport services were transitioned, on a temporary basis, to include delivery type services ie delivery of grocery/DfC food parcels, meals on wheels, prescriptions. It also included transport for vaccinations. These transitioned services were also offered to non-members which has resulted in the increase of active user numbers.