No increase in public bus and rail fares

There will be no increase in public bus and rail fares this year, the Transport Minister has announced.

Michelle McIlveen said she took the decision to freeze fares because of the fall in fuel prices and to encourage more people to use public transport.

Last year, Translink's bus and train fares rose by more than three times the rate of inflation from February 2015.

This year's price freeze has been welcomed as "good news" by the Consumer Council and the charity Sustrans.

Translink's group chief executive, Chris Conway, said keeping fares at last year's levels was not only good news for customers but would also help to attract even more people to choose the bus, coach and train as a better way to travel.