NICHOLA Mallon has said the burning of buses "absolutely should not become the norm".
Speaking yesterday the infrastructure minister said it was "deeply frustrating" that many evening services had been suspended and re-routed in recent days following two incidents of buses being hijacked and set on fire in loyalist areas in protests against the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Between 40 and 50 per cent of Metro services, mostly in the north and east of the city, were affected on Monday evening while some Ulsterbus routes were diverted.
Last night, services continued to be suspended from 6.30pm in the Antrim Road, Shore Road, Shankill Road, Crumlin Road and Newtownards Road areas while other routes were subject to some diversions.
Ms Mallon, who has responsibility for the public transport network, said such attacks were "wrong in the past" and are "wrong now".
"So, as the Minister for Infrastructure, I will do everything I can to ensure that our bus drivers, our train drivers, our passengers are safe," she said.
"But, for me, I am determined that we will have public transport services in every community in Northern Ireland.
"I won't be deterred by these thugs and cowards and I know that our public transport workers won't either."
Ms Mallon also said there was an onus on politicians to reduce tensions in loyalist areas over the protocol, rather whipping up fears with heated rhetoric.
"It's about leadership that gives people hope and confidence, instead of instilling fear and hysteria," she said.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill echoed the remarks.
She also called on unionist politicians to "dial down the noise".
"Those that are inciting young people to come onto the streets are perfectly comfortable sitting in their homes at night when these young people are going out putting themselves in jeopardy, putting our communities in jeopardy, potentially ending up with a criminal record, and they're bringing this concern right onto our streets again and none of us want to go back, we can only go forward," she said.
"There certainly should be never be a stage where there's ever any no go area in the north and I would sit down with every political leader who has a mandate here to say no, that's not ever going to happen".
