AQW 22684/17-22


Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford


Tabled Date: 17/09/2021
Answered On Date: 27/09/2021
Priority Written: No


Question:
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.


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.