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Fares for public transport are to be frozen to help people with rising living costs, the infrastructure minister has said.

Nichola Mallon announced the pricing news on Sunday.

The Department for Infrastructure said consumers have faced a 5.5% rise in living costs on average over the past year.

Ms Mallon said she had taken the decision to avoid struggling families having to face "additional pressures".

"I hope this decision will go some way towards alleviating the problems many are facing at this challenging time," she said.

The increasing cost of household bills, fuel and childcare, along with the uncertainty and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, have hit many families hard.

One community worker told ´óÏó´«Ã½ News NI late last year that rising living costs were financially, emotionally and physically "crippling" people in Northern Ireland.

Ms Mallon said she also hoped that the fare freeze would encourage more people to use public transport in Northern Ireland.

Translink has committed to introducing a new contactless payment ticketing service from March.

The system, which will allow passengers to tap their card to pay, will eventually be available on all Translink services.