Potential cuts to rural community transport services would be ‘catastrophic’ for vulnerable people in Fermanagh, local residents who use the services say.
Fermanagh Community Transport serves more than a thousand people in the local area who have no access to transport for medical appointments, day care and other essential trips.
Budget pressures at the Department for Infrastructure mean community transport services such as those in Co Fermanagh do not have funding secured from the end of next month.
READ MORE: Brother of popular Tyrone musician says he is ‘missed every day’ ahead of Mandela Hall gig
Jason Donaghy, a director at Fermanagh Community Transport, says the cuts would have a significant impact in Fermanagh due to its rurality and ageing population.
“If this service were to cease and worst case scenario not exit from May, we would have a thousand members, 95% off whom are elderly and/or disabled, who would be without those trips,” Jason said.
“We deliver 27,000 trips per year and those are for basic and essential trips, they are not luxuries.
“It is for people to get to their GP, their hospital appointments, to meet family and friends or go to addiction services. If our survive was cut all those journeys would come to an immediate halt.
“Fermanagh has the fastest ageing population in the country and the lowest population density. So we are rural and for a great many of our members the first person they see every day is our drivers. It’s our service that they depend on.
“Public transport is simply not an option for most of these people and a private taxi could cost upwards of £100 to bring you from one part of Fermanagh to another - they just can’t afford it.
“It would be a catastrophic blow and it’s a case of the powers that be making the decisions really needing to understand who it is we are talking about here.
“We are at full capacity and with these cuts we are going to have to be put in the unenviable position of which areas or which elderly or disabled people we serve.
“Morally that’s a question none of us want to take on - if they cut our funding entirely we will be closing our doors from 1 May.”
One of those Fermanagh residents who uses the service regularly is 59-year-old Geraldine Davis from Florencecourt, who has epilepsy and uses the community transport to get to her medical appointments in Enniskillen.
“I have seizures regularly and because I can’t drive I literally can’t leave the house,” Geraldine said.
“It’s the only safe transport option that I have, the drivers are trained to care for people in these circumstances.
“I have had seizures on the bus and the driver has always been there to help me when needed. You will never be left stranded.”
Geraldine says she has family who don’t live locally and aren’t able to provide her with transport for her appointments, so Fermanagh Community Transport is her only option.
“It would be a devastating loss for me, I used the bus this morning and it took me to Enniskillen and I was thinking how could they cut this service?
“There was people who had suffered strokes, another person in a wheelchair and without this service they have no way to make these trips.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said it recognises the contribution that community transport services make, but that 'extremely difficult decisions' need to made to manage its budgets.
“The Department recognises the important contribution community transport makes, complementing the wider public transport network, helping connect communities and ensuring that some of the most vulnerable people in our society are able to access essential local services and more actively participate in society," the statement said.
"The Department also understands the impact it would have on the workforce and users if funding for this scheme was to stop.
Although budgets have not been confirmed for 2023-24, the financial outlook is likely to be very challenging and require extremely difficult decisions.
"Despite this, to minimise uncertainty and operational difficulties, a funding commitment has been given to community transport providers for April 2023.
"No final decisions have been made on funding allocations for 2023-24 and further decisions for the remainder of the year will be subject to the budget outcome.”
READ NEXT:
Enniskillen St Patrick's Day 2023 parade officially launched
Sale agreed for old South West College Fairview campus in Enniskillen
Man arrested and dogs seized in Fermanagh in animal cruelty probe
Objections raised over Belleek glamping pod plan at picturesque lough
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
