Hello to staff at Armagh bus station. Today, 28th June 2022…read moreI was using the town service 12.30 from Woodford, and back on the 2.14 pm from the bus centre. I am not long after hip replacement and am using 2 crutches. This was my first trip out, and my return journey was by myself. I was nervous about tripping, falling, etc, none of those things happened. I want to praise, and thank all the staff on duty today for their kindness and help. The driver was very kind to pick up my travel card, get my ticket and bring it to me in my seat. The lady in the office inside was similar, friendly and with a smile. Well done and thank you. R White

At least Armagh has a bus station, for many years it didn't, so the very fact one exists is good…read more Unfortunately it's quite small and there's no cafe, only coffee and snack vending machines (chocolate bars, packets of crisps and bags of sweets). A well cared for Ulsterbus station, if slightly shabby these days. Staff are agreeable, when they're there that is, as the ticket counter's closed up most of the time. Hence you often just purchase your ticket on the bus from the driver. However when you do talk to both counter staff and bus drivers they are friendly and helpful. Today I went to buy an Armagh to Belfast ticket which costs £9.40, but the ticket counter Gent advised me I could purchase a 'Rambler' ticket for £9.00 which allows unlimited Ulsterbus and Belfast Metro journeys for one full day up to midnight (price as at Nov. 2015). There are a couple of things which irk me about this station. Lack of an electronic timetable display board is one, though paper timetables sit at the ticket counter. Secondly the opening times are rubbish. Buses come and go at all hours over 7 days a week but the bus centre's only open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm. This is annoying if you arrive or wish to depart outside station opening hours as you end up standing at an outside bus stop in all weathers.

Irrelevant of what other reviewers think, in my opinion Europa Bus and Train Station is pretty…read moregood. Sure, it's not the prettiest building, but it has everything you're likely to need. There are a few cafes in both the Station and Great Northern Mall which lead to it. You'll also find a shop, seating, ticket counter, information desk, toilets and digital timetable board displaying bus and train times. I personally have always found it clean, tidy, pleasant in atmosphere and the staff helpful. There can be queues at the ticket counter but I know this and always arrive early to allow myself enough time to purchase my ticket. There's really nothing more I could ask for as far as a bus and train station is concerned.

Europa Bus Centre is fine. It's not super modern, but it was climate-controlled and clean. It was…read moreeasy to find the bus information and ticketing. There was also lots of information on visiting NI. Even though I bought my ticket online, I still needed a printed ticket. I appreciate the shops and restaurants, though not sure I noticed an ATM. Restrooms were fine. Not sure if Europa is run by Translink, but I will say that when I needed help with something before my trip, the staff at Translink was super friendly and responsive, and I can't say the same for other national travel companies. Europa is definitely A-OK.

No link between laganside and europa. If going from ballygowan to enniskillen you have to take taxi…read moreor carry suitcases a long long way to europa.

Wow Laganside Bus station is grim, when waiting there recently I contemplated throwing myself in…read morefront of a bus rather than get on one out of sheer boredom. Laganside is on its last legs, I can almost here the wrecking ball swinging....do you hear it too? If you are coming to Belfast from Newtownards then the last stop is Laganside, to be fair despite the state of lagan side it is in a pretty handy location right next to the wonky Albert Clock. You can get off and be right in the City centre within seconds. The journey from Newtownards itself is a long and boring one. The bus travels a route that is just unnecessary as no one gets on or off the bus at about 70% of the stops you pass. Very strange but something that is non negotiable I suppose. All in all this place could do with a revamp and if you are waiting around for a bus don't jingle your bus money in your pockets because you will be asked to spare it.

As a bus station, the Long Walk Bus Station can't be beat - it's got an entry&exit, it's flat with…read morepainted-but-worn away white markings along the bays and buses roll in to drop people off or pick them up. Brilliant. Customer Service-wise, that's a different matter altogether. It's also a bit difficult to give it a rating in the sense that like most places it's a very narrow experience you go through here - you either sort yourself out with a ticket from the magic ticket-selling box or you pay the driver on the bus. However that narrow face to face experience does totally vary on the driver you get from journey to journey - they're either smiley and cheerful or ignorant a$$hats who barely acknowledge you and leave you happy enough to leave your earbuds in while you do The Exchange and then go get a seat onboard. Sometimes they moan at you for not buying a ticket from the magic ticket-selling box in the waiting room-office-lobby whatever it is, not realising that some people only just arrive to catch their bus within a few minutes or seconds of arriving there. The men who mind the little office could also do with being a bit more Customer Service-y as well - they're not very good at hiding that annoyed/indifferent/frustrated look all over their Chevy Chase when they're busy flicking through their newspaper or playing with their mobile or dragging out a phone call, or toying with their mobile while they're on a phone call. They also like to play hide and seek when their Spidey Sense alerts them to a customer approaching their glassed-in desk, but they only have that spot behind the wall to the side of said glassed-in desk to hide behind. It's not very imaginative, so I don't know why they hide there for so long. It gets old fast waiting for them to stop playing silly buggers when you need to catch a bus in a hurry. The bus station itself is in the heart of the town close to loads of shops and nearby ATMs and services include the very convenient bus to/from Newry up North.

Ulsterbus is the element of Translink which is responsible for bus transportation all around…read moreNorthern Ireland, except the centre of Belfast. The buses are instantly recognisable by their light blue and white design, and come in two different sizes. The regular buses are those which transport people between two different towns / cities, for example Belfast and Bangor, Bangor and Newtownards. The smaller, 'easybus' style buses are town service buses, and usually transport people around a single town, such as Newtownards or Comber. Some towns (such as Bangor) use the larger buses. You will now see why, for a good few years, my dad used to 'rake' (make fun of in Northern Irish speak) me about my knowledge of buses. I was, on occasion referred to as a 'walking timetable', and if any enquiry in relation to buses should arise, the 'raking' was taken further, with my dad insisting that I be asked. Being the fount of bus knowledge, you see. Ok, so it wasn't entirely unwarranted, and I did take an interest in buses (only mildly...I'm certainly no equivalent to those strange trainspotters, honest), but this was only because I did enjoy a good bus journey. And I still do. Sad I know, but since I do not drive, I have become heavily reliant on these wonderful modes of transportation. No really, they're not all that bad! I know buses have are reputed for being late, but Ulsterbus is usually a very reliable service, and the prices are still pretty decent despite having risen twice the past couple of years. Despite this, a good tip is to by a Smartlink card (available at the main bus stations - Laganside, Europa and the like), and top it up with a certain number of journeys (10, 20 or 40). They work out a whole lot cheaper than buying an actual bus journey on the day, and you simply place your card on the reader above the ticket machine each time you hop on the bus, and that's you done. Simples (to quote the infamous and most wonderful Aleksandr the Meerkat). Eh, I reckon that'll do. Before I start looking like a super nerd. Though it's quite possibly far too late for that...

I took the Goldline Service from Dublin Airport to the Buscentre. It had a camera so you could see…read morethe bus' view of the road on an overhead monitor but it looked like a tour bus. The cost was a little over 11 pounds one way. This transportation service operates in the major towns of Northern Ireland. You have to wait at a stand then show your ticket.

Donaghadee Bus Station is hardly the epicentre of a hustling bustling town, it is however a handy…read moreinterchange between Newtownards and Belfast. Although it is a basic interchange with no ticket facilities and no shop within 100 yards you are going to have to make your own entertainment as you wait for a connecting bus. I think this place only employs one person so do not expect a chat either. Fear not, you will be sheltered and you can rest your legs with two metal benches under a tin roof. This is not the most comfortable wait and if your bus is more than ten minutes away I would recommend a walk round Donaghadee rather than getting a numb bum. The staff who drive this route are regulars to it and they always provide a helpful and friendly service. Don't be afraid to ask them where the bus stops, they will usually oblige. The Bus Station is not open on a Sunday so you will have wait at the town centre bus stop.

Ballyclare Bus Station isn't so much a bus station as a…read moresmall-building-that-resembles-something-like-a-bus-station-but-isn't-quite-one. Much catchier, I'm sure you'll agree. Since most of the buses (and these are a limited number anyway) coming in and out of Ballyclare are from Belfast, there isn't really a huge requirement for it to be any bigger. It's a modern enough building, which consists of a couple of toilets, a seating area, a vending machine (most the important part, I'm sure you'll agree), and an information point / ticket desk. This sounds fair enough, but I noticed there wasn't any sign of life in that wee information area, nor were there any staff around the place whatsoever. When the ticket desk is about as useful as a chocolate teapot (in use), this does change the logistics somewhat. A prospective bus station becomes a sheltered seating area with a few (smelly) toilets and a vending machine. Not exactly top class, eh? As a bus station, it leaves a lot to be desired (least of all a cleaner for those toilets, seriously). However, I was provided with a pleasant enough shelter from the wind, as well as a myriad of wasps so I'm not going to complain too much...

A nice place to sit in shelter and wait for a bus or go to the toilet, but the information desk is…read morealmost never open. In the many times I've been here I've only seen someone there (info desk) once, which is really inconvenient and useless. Means I had to go to a bus centre in Belfast while I was in to hand in my Y-Link form because my own local bus station's help desk is never open. Also had to go to another bus station years ago to get my bus card for the same reason.

Hey, it's a public bus station. If you came here to be…read moreimpressed or swaddled in the lap of luxury then you were out of order. Adjust your expectations accordingly and read on (smile). Bearing that in mind the buses are on time, the kiosk are in working order and the place is relatively clean. I am also fairly certain that there are working toilets there if you need them. The station is in the heart of Belfast and I saw that a few bus lines operate out of this hub. There are three things I really appreciated about this bus station. Unlike some bus stations in the US, there are: First, no homeless people camping out here or begging. Second, no rats running around. Finally, no obvious pimps attempting to pick up young innocent run aways. So they get a few more stars for just being a decent place for humans to simply board a bus.

Great Victoria Street station, in terms of facilities, is pretty much what you would expect from a…read morestation in a city like Belfast but it is a bit cramped and crowded. It is attached to the Europa bus station and is a 5 minute walk away from the city centre which is pretty good but it is a wee bit far out. In the station building there is a WHSmith, a coffee shop, some seats, a ticket office and some toilets. There are four platforms serving the Larne, Londonderry, Portadown and Bangor lines on the NI Railways network. I am pretty sure the Dublin trains will be moved here in the future as well. The staff here are not rude, but they don't really engage with people, for example, the man on the ticket barrier was very robotic, just letting people through once they have flashed a blue NIR ticket at him. There isn't really anything wrong with GVS station but there isn't anything exceptionally good about it to warrant a 4 star review. The convenient connection to Europa bus station is great, especially if you are transferring between services, and the statue of the two women outside on the street is quite interesting, but otherwise it is just a train station which happens to be the main one in Belfast.

I have only started driving the last year so up until the ripe old age of 24 I was at the mercy of…read moreTranslink and Northern Ireland antiquated and completely awful and overpriced public transport system. The train services are ok, but just about. They are massively overpriced, with a return to Belfast costing over £7 and that is just ridiculous. I get a student pass and that comes to £6.80 for a day return. In the winter months there are nearly constant delays and there is never any information given to help you out or let you know what is going on. That and on a quick 30minute journey it is not uncommon to have your ticket checked 3 or 4 times, including at both ends of the station. Ridiculous and an embarassment compared to public transport anywhere else I have ever been in the world.

Back in 1999 Bangor Bus Station used to terrify me, yes that's right I was scared of a building. It…read moredo not know if this was because I was 13 or because it was a cold, dark and had many nooks and crannies for bigger boys to hide. But all that is in the past because in 2001 Bangor opened a brand new Bus and Rail Centre, it even sounds less intimidating. The station now resembles a water park with its ultra marine blue colour schemes and curvaceous roof. Every day I begin my journey to Belfast at Bangor bus station, or should I say rail centre. It boasts a coffee shop, newsagents and booking office which is handy as my 7am routine includes buying a coffee, newspaper and a single visa transaction. That visa transaction always helps to wake me up. A return to Great Victoria street is 7.20 which is outrageous considering the short distance. Despite the accessibility and personality of Bangor's bus stations it does little to console me when I tot up my monthly travel bill.