To ask the Minister for Regional Development whether the recent £5million investment in the Translink fleet, which will update the Coleraine Town service, will also allow surrounding rural areas to receive improved public transport provision.

All of the buses used to provide town services in Coleraine will be replaced with seven new buses, to provide a smoother, quieter, more fuel efficient and more environmentally-friendly service for the passenger. Currently six of the seven vehicles are in operation in Coleraine, with the seventh expected to enter service shortly. These vehicles were replacements for existing life-expired buses within the current fleet, and are not additional vehicles. They will be used predominately on existing Town Service routes.

My Department currently provides support to Translink from the Rural Transport Fund to provide rural services which would otherwise be uneconomic to run but deemed socially necessary in the Coleraine area. These services are the Causeway Rambler and the Ballycastle to Coleraine service.

My Department also fund the North Coast Community Transport Partnership (NCCTP), and it provides Dial-A-Lift services in rural areas within the Coleraine Council area to members.