NI motorists are facing pressure from all angles, says Consumer Council | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

NI motorists are facing pressure from all angles, says Consumer Council

The Consumer Council is urging motorists to shop around for their car insurance, use its petrol and diesel price comparison tool, and take up some of the money saving deals others like Translink are offering in the run up to Christmas.

The advice comes following concern about parking charges, confirmation that NI motorists spend the most per week on petrol in the UK, and the Competition Commission’s recognition that UK motorists are paying too much for car insurance.

Speaking about the burden on consumers, Kathy Graham, Interim Director of Policy at the Consumer Council said, “NI consumers are bearing very high costs in relation to motoring and the Consumer Council is working in various ways to help.

“We research and publish the cheapest and dearest petrol and diesel prices across Northern Ireland to help consumers get the best deal. We also work hard to tackle the high cost of motor insurance and use consumers’ views and experiences to lobby decision-makers. In the meantime we encourage consumers to shop around to keep more money in their pocket.

“Public transport can also provide savings for consumers especially if they use smartlink cards which are handier and offer a better deal than the cash fare,” Kathy continued.

“Translink has many bus and rail offers particularly over the Christmas period which include free park and ride services. Transport Minister Danny Kennedy has also announced extra train capacity over Christmas on NI Railways services to facilitate shoppers.

“Using public transport even one day per month can lead to significant savings, whilst the ‘TaxSmart’ initiative, allows people to purchase multi-journey passes before tax on their salary.

“Car sharing schemes could also provide a more cost-effective option for people on the daily commute. The cost calculator on www.carshareni.com shows individual motoring costs can be halved by car sharing with another person,” she added.

Consumers who would like to find out more can visit www.consumercouncil.org.uk , call on 0800 121 6022, e-mail info@consumercouncil.org.uk or contact via facebook or twitter. Those who would like to find out more about Translink timetables and offers can visit; www.translink.co.uk/christmas2013

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Posted by on Dec 19 2013. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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