AQW 43851/22-27

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 14/04/2026
Answered On Date: 28/04/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail any assessment her Department has made of evening and late night public transport provision in Belfast for people with disabilities.

Answer:

My Department has not made any specific assessment of evening and late-night public transport provision in Belfast for people with disabilities but it funds the Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC) to provide ongoing engagement and advice to the Department and other stakeholders on matters relating to the transport needs of older, Deaf, and disabled transport users.

Through continuing engagement between my Department, Translink, and IMTAC significant improvements have been made to the accessibility of public transport network in and around Belfast over recent years. The Metro fleet, Glider vehicles, and rail stock all provide low-floor, ramped access for wheelchair users and people with mobility difficulties and feature audio visual journey information to assist people who have visual impairments. Most recently, engagement with IMTAC has seen the introduction of Metro buses with dual wheelchair access. The building and refurbishment of stations and halts is also undertaken with significant engagement with IMTAC to ensure that the needs of older, Deaf, and disabled transport users are adequately reflected in the design of and the facilities offered by this transport infrastructure.

As a result of these accessibility improvements, the additional late-night services introduced through the year-long pilot scheme which commenced at the end of November 2025 will benefit many disabled as well as non-disabled transport users.

I recognise that there remain accessibility challenges and I will continue to champion ongoing engagement to identify solutions to ensure that we have a public transport system that is more inclusive to the needs of everyone in society, including people with disabilities.