Two leading youth support agencies have hit out at the woeful state of transport for young people in rural areas.
Speaking at the Rural Youth Network Conference, Fiona Blacke, chief executive of The National Youth Agency, said that a lack of regular and affordable transport remains the biggest barrier to young people taking part in positive activities.
"We've seen some innovative community schemes to ship young people about but the fact is that transport infrastructure is weak and the government has made it a higher priority to offer improved transport to the over-65s," she said.
"We've seen some innovative community schemes to ship young people about but the fact is that transport infrastructure is weak and the government has made it a higher priority to offer improved transport to the over-65s," she said.
"It's an ongoing issue and one day I'm sure government will do something about it."
Sîan Rees, chair of the Rural Youth Network, said that there was currently a "sticking plaster" approach to public transport for young people in rural areas.
"There are schemes like Wheels to Work that help overcome the barriers young people in rural areas face, but district and county councils need to come together to discuss the issue," she said.
The 10-year youth strategy, published last summer, identified transport as one of the biggest problems facing young people accessing services. But it placed the onus on local authorities and voluntary groups to negotiate a better with transport operators in their regions.
