Ulsterbus
 | |
 | |
| Parent | Translink |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Milewater Road,Belfast,Northern Ireland |
| Locale | Northern Ireland |
| Service area | Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland(via Cross Border Services) |
| Service type | Bus service,Coach |
| Alliance | Bus Éireann |
| Stations | 22 |
| Fleet | ~1,100 |
| Operator | Translink |
| Website | Official website |
Ulsterbusis a public transport operator inNorthern Irelandand operates bus services outsideBelfast.It is part ofTranslink,the brand name for the subsidiary operating companies of theNorthern Ireland Transport Holding Company,which also includesNorthern Ireland RailwaysandMetro Belfast.
History
[edit]
Ulsterbus was founded in 1967 with the creation of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, replacing the formerUlster Transport Authority.The founding of Ulsterbus coincided with the beginnings ofThe Troubles,a conflict which intensified throughout the 1970s and 1980s and often saw Ulsterbus buses and employees caught in the crossfire.[1]Drivers would often face hijackings, assaults and robberies while operating Ulsterbus services, their buses being turned into burning barricades or occasionally being bombed.[2]Four Ulsterbus employees were killed in the 1972Bloody Friday bombingswhen an IRA bomb exploded at the Oxford Street bus station.[3][4]In total, 17 employees from both Ulsterbus and Citybus were killed during The Troubles, with 1,484 buses in total being maliciously destroyed from 1964 to the signing of theGood Friday Agreementin 1998.[1][5]
Werner Heubeckwas the first managing director of both Ulsterbus andCitybus,managing both companies throughout The Troubles from his appointment in 1965 until his retirement in 1988. A former Luftwaffe conscript, Heubeck became known for carrying bombs off buses and for making Northern Ireland's buses profitable and running to schedule despite the security situation, and received both anOBEin 1977 and aCBEon his retirement in 1988.[6]
TheNorthern Ireland Transport Holding Companywas rebranded toTranslinkin 1996. Ulsterbus and Citybus, as well as Northern Ireland's rail services, were integrated into Translink and were subsequently rebranded. Translink have built and refurbished a number of bus stations served by Ulsterbus and have invested in a fully low-floor bus fleet, as well as introducing brands such as the Foyle Metro.[7]
Services
[edit]Ulsterbus is responsible for most of the province-wide bus services in Northern Ireland. It operates 1,100 buses and twenty-two bus stations, several of which, such as those atBelfast EuropaandBangor,form integrated transport interchanges withNorthern Ireland Railwaysstations.[8]Ulsterbus, as part of Translink, is charged with transporting over 55,000 children per day to school.[9]Every July and August, around 250 vehicles are usually de-taxed. This is because not as many are needed for service due to schools finishing for summer holidays.[citation needed]
Goldline
[edit]
Goldline is the name given to the inter-city express bus services operated by Ulsterbus. Originally launched as the 'Northern Ireland Express' in the 1970s, these services were rebranded to 'Goldline' in 1990, with theBelfast-Derryexpress service relaunched as the 'Maiden City Flyer' with eight new coaches in 1991. This service has seen major expansion over the years: Belfast-Derry 212 service went from a thrice daily service in 1990 to half-hourly frequency,[10]and many services have been expanded and introduced.[11]Goldline services are operated from Belfast to major destinations in Northern Ireland, plus the Goldline Express Services X1/X2 (previously Service 200) toDublin(viaDublin Airport). This service was worked jointly withBus Éireannservice X1 (previously Service 001) until December 2020, where the service changed to be worked 100% by Translink.
There are also a number of cross-channel (North Channel) services toBritain,operated in partnership withNational Express[12]under theEurolinesbanner.
Foyle Metro
[edit]
For many years,Derry's internal bus network was operated as Ulsterbus's Derry City Services. The network was relaunched as Ulsterbus Foyle on 4 September 2006 following a review and expansion of the city's bus routes and replacement of many of the city's older buses.[13]
Ulsterbus Foyle was later rebranded as Foyle Metro on 1 September 2017, with the buses branded in a deep red livery. The rebranded service now operates across 14 high-quality bus corridors with new timetables. It represents an investment of over £3m, consisting of 19 brand new buses and many others refurbished.[14]
In 2022, £30 million of funding from theDepartment for Infrastructurewas acquired for the purchase of 38battery electric buses,as well as charging equipment to be installed at the Foyle Metro's Pennyburn garage.[15]The buses, ten beingWright StreetDeck Electrolinerdouble-decks and 28 beingWright GB Kite Electrolinersingle-decks, were delivered in May 2023, with type training for drivers and charger installation taking place as late as July 2023 ahead of the rollout of the buses on city services, where they will replace existing diesel buses to enable the Foyle Metro fleet to be completely zero-emission.[16][17]
Ulsterbus Tours
[edit]Ulsterbus previously operated a holiday coaching arm named 'Ulsterbus Tours', operating "day tours" to other parts of Northern Ireland, theRepublic of Irelandand across theIrish SeatoGreat Britain,mainly for shopping and visits to tourist attractions. Coaches could also be hired for sporting events such asOld Firmderbies and racing events such as theCheltenham Gold Cup.Ulsterbus Tours was closed in September 2020 due to the financial impact of theCOVID-19 pandemicon Translink.[18]
Urby
[edit]
The Ulsterbus Urby service is an upgraded bus service offering USB charging, faster journeys, WiFi and leather seating, initially launched with 28 new Wrightdouble decker busesin June 2018 to operate inBallyclare,Bangor,NewtownardsandDromore.[19]In September 2019, routes servingBallygowan,ComberandMoneyreaghwere upgraded to Urby routes with an investment of seven new buses.[20]
Incidents
[edit]In December 2015, a single-decker bus crashed intoStrangford Loughafter colliding with a wall on the Portaferry Road nearNewtownards.No passengers were on board at the time and the driver of the bus sustained only minor injuries. The bus was recovered and put back onto land a few hours later.[21]
Two Ulsterbus Goldline coaches have suffered engine fires while in service; a coach bound for Belfast caught fire outside ofLurgan,County Armaghin November 2016, while another caught fire on theM2inCounty Antrimin July 2021, which the company states was caused by "accidental ignition".[22][23]
An Urby bus was hijacked and set alight by "masked men" on the morning of 1 November 2021 in Newtownards. The bus had recently entered service in the Bowtown estate when hijackers held the driver at gunpoint and "muttered something about the(Northern Ireland) protocol"before setting the bus alight. No passengers were on board at the time, but the bus was totally destroyed and the driver left" badly shaken ". The attack was widely condemned by members of theNorthern Ireland Assemblyand all buses to the town were briefly suspended.[24][25]
Fleet
[edit]
As of October 2021, the Ulsterbus fleet consists of nearly 1,100 buses and coaches,[11]with buses predominantly bodied byWrightbusofBallymena.
Prior to the advent oflow-floor buses,the Ulsterbus fleet mainly consisted ofAlexander-bodiedBristol REs,Leyland Leopards,Leyland TigersandVolvo B10Ms.Many of these would be hijacked and maliciously destroyed throughout The Troubles, and as such, second-hand Bristol, Leyland and AEC buses were regularly purchased from British operators.[11][26]
The last Leyland Tiger of a fleet of over 600 was handed over to the company in September 1993, with Ulsterbus moving over to the Volvo B10M following the closure of Leyland Bus.[27]Most high-floor Ulsterbus buses were withdrawn by the mid-2000s; the last Leyland Leopards were finally withdrawn in 2006, with 681 being built for Ulsterbus and 228 of these being maliciously destroyed.[28]
Following an order for 40Leyland Atlanteansin 1971, no furtherdouble decker buseswere ordered, as they were seen as expensive to run and not offering good value for money at the time.[29][30]In 2001, however, double decker buses were reintroduced to Northern Ireland through the purchase of 20low-floorVolvo B7TLswithAlexander ALX400bodywork for both Ulsterbus and Citybus.[31]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Exhibition charts Ulsterbus' remarkable 50-year journey".Belfast Telegraph.20 April 2017.Retrieved13 April2021.
- ^O'Callaghan, Eugene (21 September 2019)."Bus heroes who steered us through the Troubles".Belfast Telegraph.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Bloody Friday: What happened".BBC News.16 July 2002.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^Morris, Steven (17 July 2002)."The day 20 bombs hit a city centre".The Guardian.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^O'Callaghan, Eugene (21 September 2019)."Werner Heubeck: the Boss who carried bombs off buses".Belfast Telegraph.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Boss who took bombs off buses dies".BBC News.19 October 2009.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Anniversary, 1996-2021"(PDF).translink.co.uk.Translink.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^About UlsterbusUlsterbus.co.uk – Retrieved on 3 March 2009
- ^"Corporate".translink.co.uk.Translink.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^Buses in Ulster Volume 6: Ulsterbus and Citybus 1988–2003
- ^abcSavage, Paul (16 March 2017)."Ulsterbus at 50".Buses.Stamford: Key Publishing.Retrieved26 October2021.(subscription required)
- ^"Cheap coach tickets to European Destinations".
- ^All-new Ulsterbus Foyle service takes to the roadsArchived11 March 2007 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 22 September 2006.
- ^"Translink launches red Foyle Metro bus fleet in Londonderry".Belfast Telegraph.1 July 2017.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved5 July2022.
- ^"Mallon announces £30 million to make Foyle Metro Zero Carbon".Department for Infrastructure.3 November 2021.Retrieved5 July2022.
- ^"Translink debuts Foyle Metro battery-electric fleet".routeone.26 May 2023.Retrieved6 August2023.
- ^"Preparations progress at Translink as Derry gears up for zero emission fleet roll-out".Derry Journal.10 July 2023.Retrieved6 August2023.
- ^"Ulsterbus Tours to close as Translink targets £20m in cost savings".Coach & Bus Week.Peterborough. 22 September 2020.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Translink to launch service 'Urby' with 28 new Wrights Group £6.7m Ulsterbuses".Belfast Telegraph.28 June 2018.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^Scott, Sarah (29 September 2019)."Translink Urby buses to help connect Co Down towns with Belfast".Belfast Live.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Ulsterbus lifted from the beach at Strangford Lough shore after crash".Belfast Telegraph.9 December 2015.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Translink bus fire: Lurgan engine fire investigated".BBC News.3 November 2016.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^McGonagle, Suzanne (26 July 2021)."Fire on bus as it travelled along M2 motorway".The Irish News.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Newtownards: Bus hijacked by masked men and set on fire".BBC News.1 November 2021.Retrieved1 November2021.
- ^"Bus hijacked and set on fire in Co Down".RTÉ News.1 November 2021.Retrieved1 November2021.
- ^"Tight fleets in Ulster".Commercial Motor.Temple Press. 13 November 1982. pp. 20–21.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^Morgan, Mike (18 September 1993). "Handover marks the end of an era".Coach & Bus Week.No. 83. Peterborough: Emap. p. 7.
- ^"End of era as leopard becomes extinct".BBC News.28 June 2006.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Atlanteans for Ulsterbus".Commercial Motor.Temple Press. 9 July 1971. p. 32.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Troubled tale of Ulster's buses".Commercial Motor.Temple Press. 6 July 1979. pp. 33–35.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^"Double deckers back on the road".The News Letter.Belfast. 24 March 2001.Retrieved26 October2021– viaGeneral OneFile.
External links
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