Translink has welcomed the Consumer Council’s Transport Knowledge Hub which has been introduced to help users compare the cost of a variety of travel options, including private car and public transport.
Using price data collected over the last ten years, the Consumer Council has built a Transport Knowledge Hub to enable up-to-date, interactive price comparison across a range of travel categories including ferries, public transport, fuel and flights. The user-friendly resource allows consumers to compare things like the average commuting cost to Belfast from towns and cities in NI; public transport prices across different regions in the UK; average flight cost from NI by airline; petrol and diesel prices; and average fare prices for short and long sea crossings.
Noyona Chundur, CEO at the Consumer Council said the online tool was an important resource to help the public become more aware of potential cost saving travel options:
“High fuel costs are a real concern for many consumers. Our Transport Knowledge Hub shows petrol and diesel prices have recently hit record highs and this comes at a time when price rises in food, fuel, and energy are also squeezing household budgets. The Consumer Council Transport Knowledge Hub has been developed to help compare up-to-date transport costs so people can consider the best value option that works for them, with helpful comparisons that not only compare the cost of filling up the car to the price of a bus or train ticket, but also the general running costs which impact budgets.”
The hub can be accessed free of charge at www.consumercouncil.org.uk/transportknowledgehub with a wide range of calculations available which compare both the cost of fuel and general car ownership costs to daily, weekly, monthly and annual public transport fares.
Commenting on the benefit of the Transport Knowledge Hub for commuters, Ian Campbell, Director of Operations at Translink, said:
“The hub is a great resource for anyone considering their travel options and looking for the best value, particularly in light of the current high fuel costs which are impacting household budgets across Northern Ireland. With Translink’s fares still frozen at 2019 levels and a wide range of special fares, tickets, and payment methods available to help make public transport as cost effective as possible, we’re pleased to be able to offer great value across our bus and rail network.”
The Consumer Council will continue to track and publish data on the Transport Knowledge Hub on a weekly basis, which can be accessed at www.consumercouncil.org.uk/transportknowledgehub.
Up to date timetables and fares can be accessed at www.translink.co.uk or on the Translink Journey Planner app.