The national charity that represents and supports providers of community transport, the Community Transport Association, is calling for the service to be fully funded and ring-fenced against future cuts.
The call comes as a service that provides transport to older and Disabled passengers in rural parts of Northern Ireland risks closure due to a cut in funding.
First reported by the BBC, the dial-a-lift service in question makes about 200,000 journeys annually, taking passengers to healthcare appointments and food shopping.
It has previously received annual government funding of £2.2m each year. But funding from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) will run out at the end of April. Eleven organisations across Northern Ireland deliver the dial-a-lift service through Rural Community Transport Partnerships. About 40% of people in Northern Ireland live in rural areas, and many rely on community transport to allow them to leave their homes because of a lack of public transport nearby.
The Community Transport Association is calling for the service to be fully funded and ring-fenced against future cuts. The organisation is concerned that funding is being cut when the demand for the service is outstripping what can be supplied even within current funding levels.
Dr Victoria Armstrong, Chief Executive of Community Transport Association said: "This is an exceptionally worrying time for rural communities and Disabled people in Northern Ireland. Any decision taken to remove or reduce funding for the Dial-a-Lift service would force many disabled people into further isolation and will have a disproportionate and devastating impact on their lives."