By Ronan McSherry
INDEPENDENT councillor, Paddy McGowan, has accused his former employees at Translink of 'ripping off' its customers from the Omagh area.
The retired Ulsterbus District Manager, who served 40 years with the company, made the remarks after being informed of anomalies between the prices for travelling on the Belfast to Derry and Belfast to Omagh routes.
Following a tip-off from an UHereader, Translink confirmed that the prices for journeys of the same length were substantially higher when travelling to Omagh. The distances and time involved journeying by bus from Belfast to Omagh and Belfast to Derry are similar.
However, while the cost of a single fare for both routes is the same, for regular commuters a 40 journey pass from Omagh to Belfast will cost the Tyrone customer £281, while the same pass for Derry to Belfast is a mere £190, a staggering difference of £91.
A Translink spokesperson explained, "Fares on the 212 service (Belfast to Derry) are significantly lower to encourage patronage growth."
Cllr McGowan is outraged with the disparity.
"That is a rip-off," he said. "That discrepancy is not right. Those fares need to be looked at regarding mileage and the same preference given to people from Omagh as the people from Derry. All people travelling on the buses should be treated the same. It is grossly unfair."
excess
An Open Return ticket valid for one month from Belfast to Derry is £16. However, there is no Open Return ticket available for the Belfast-Omagh run. Therefore the customer has to purchase two single tickets for a total of £30, this time £14 in excess of Derry customers.
The Translink spokesperson explained this difference by saying, "The Open Return ticket type remains available on the Belfast to Derry route for promotional purposes."
In his scathing attack, the former Translink District manager has called on the bosses at the bus company to give equal treatment to Omagh residents.
He said, "There are enough fat cats in Ulsterbus Translink at the minute to get that sorted out. As a public representative in Omagh I demand that we get the same priority as the customers on the Derry to Belfast route. As an ex-member of staff I think it is shameful."
