NI rail and bus users to pay more from April 1

Fare changes on Metro/Glider, NI Railways and Ulsterbus will come into effect from Monday April 1.

On average, fares will increase by 2.6% but Translink said many “best value” fares have been held and discounts of around 25% will continue to be available using ‘Smart’ tickets.

Chris Conway, Translink Group chief executive said: “We have worked hard to keep fares low by keeping our costs down and attracting record numbers on board over recent years with new services including Glider and Urby.

“We are urging passengers to check their fare options before they travel and look for the best deals such as the range of Metro and Ulsterbus multi-journey Smartlink cards offering around 25% saving off the cash fare.”

Some of the new prices include:

l Metro City Zone £2 fare to increase 10p to £2.10 (last increase Feb 2015);

l Metro Daylink/mlink fares: unlimited day travel price held £3 off peak/£3.50 peak;

l Metro Weekly Travel Smartcards price held at £15;

l 1/3rd off Day Return fares on NI Railways and Ulsterbus, after 9.30am, to be retained.