Northern Ireland

Translink says there has been no increase on identity checks on buses between Belfast and Dublin

A Translink Goldline bus. The company has said there has been no increase in identity checks on buses between Belfast and Dublin. Picture by Hugh Russell
A Translink Goldline bus. The company has said there has been no increase in identity checks on buses between Belfast and Dublin. Picture by Hugh Russell A Translink Goldline bus. The company has said there has been no increase in identity checks on buses between Belfast and Dublin. Picture by Hugh Russell

TRANSLINK has said there has been no increase on identity checks on buses between Belfast and Dublin.

Foyle MLA Martina Anderson had said on Wednesday that the number of passport and identity checks on cross-border buses had risen since 2019.

The checks usually involve buses being stopped just after they cross the border on either side.

Ms Anderson asked transport company Translink about the checks at Stormont's Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday.

"In a democratic society the powers of law enforcement officers to stop persons and seek papers confirming their identity and status are to be strictly controlled and clearly provided for by law," she said.

"Under what obligation is Translink under to facilitate these checks?

"Additionally, Translink is a public body and is obliged to equality test policy decisions, so why has the facilitation of passport checks not been equality screened?"

A spokeswoman for Translink said yesterday there had been no rise in identity and passport checks

"We comply with law enforcement agencies' requests to board our vehicles," she said.

"There has not been an increase in these checks on Translink services operating Belfast to Dublin routes."