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 at Belfast Grand Central and Bangor, form integrated transport interchanges with Northern Ireland Railways stations.[8]
Goldliner
Goldliner 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 the Belfast-Derry express 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] In 2021, these services were rebranded again to 'Goldliner' in line with the wider rebranding of Translink.
Goldliner services are primarily operated from Belfast to major destinations in Northern Ireland, as well as 'Xpress' branded cross-border Goldline Express Services X1 (previously service 200) to Dublin (via Dublin Airport). This service was worked jointly with Bus Éireann's service X1 (previously service 001) until December 2020, after which Bus Éireann withdrew their X1. There is also a X2 operating express between Belfast and Dublin Airport without any intermediate stops between them.
There are also a number of cross-channel (North Channel) services to Britain, operated in partnership with National Express[12] under the Eurolines banner.
Foyle Metro
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 buses branded in a deep red livery. The rebranded service, representing an investment of over £3 million, included 19 brand new buses delivered and many others refurbished to operates across 14 quality bus corridors with new timetables.[14]
In 2022, £30 million of funding from the Department for Infrastructure was acquired for the purchase of 38 battery electric buses, as well as charging equipment to be installed at the Foyle Metro's Pennyburn garage.[15] The buses, ten being Wright StreetDeck Electroliner double-decks and 28 being Wright GB Kite Electroliner single-decks, were delivered in May 2023,[16]
Ulsterbus Tours
Ulsterbus previously operated a holiday coaching arm named 'Ulsterbus Tours', operating "day tours" to other parts of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and across the Irish Sea to Great Britain, mainly for shopping and visits to tourist attractions. Coaches could also be hired for sporting events such as Old Firm derbies and racing events such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Ulsterbus Tours was closed in September 2020 due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Translink.[19]
Urby
The Ulsterbus Urby service is an upgraded bus service offering USB charging, faster journeys, WiFi and leather seating, initially launched with 28 new Wright double decker buses in June 2018 to operate in Ballyclare, Bangor, Newtownards and Dromore.[20] In September 2019, routes serving Ballygowan, Comber and Moneyreagh were upgraded to Urby routes with an investment of seven new buses.[21]
