Buying N. Ireland bus/rail ticket

[bella]

Wanted to buy an advance through ticket for my son who is travelling this week - airport bus from Aldergrove Airport to Europa bus then from adjacent Great Victoria St. railway station to Bangor (£14). However their website doesn't appear to allow purchase of the single rail ticket - only travel card or weekly/monthly. Have I got this wrong somehow?

 

[Flying Snail]

Apart from a few exceptions (Enterprise Belfast-Dublin rail and cross border express bus routes from Belfast or Derry to Dublin) there are no reductions for buying fares in advance in NI.

Your options are buy the singles listed in cash on the bus and at GVS rail ticket office or buy a zone 3 i-link card with 1 day ticket and have it posted to you if there is enough time, this would be £13.50 and it allows unlimited travel in zones 1-2-3 for the day.

Additional day, week or month passes can be loaded on the card at any time in stations or on Ulsterbus buses. The card can only be loaded with z3 tickets, to load a card with other zone tickets you need a separate ilink card marked for that zone use.

 

[island]

There are no online sales of single or return tickets in NI except cross border.

You can purchase the ticket on the day at the station.

 

[bella]

So he can buy the £14 ticket on the bus straight through to Bangor without wasting time buying a rail ticket at Great Victoria (and maybe missing connection)? Does the bus take contactless?

 

[danm14]

Wanted to buy an advance through ticket for my son who is travelling this week - airport bus from Aldergrove Airport to Europa bus then from adjacent Great Victoria St. railway station to Bangor (£14). However their website doesn't appear to allow purchase of the single rail ticket - only travel card or weekly/monthly. Have I got this wrong somehow?

If your son will take the Airport-Belfast bus after 9:15am, and is willing to take a bus to Bangor instead of the train (negligible journey time difference), the entire journey can be done for £9.50 by buying a Bus Rambler ticket (unlimited bus travel within Northern Ireland for the entire day).

Also, if he's travelling on a Sunday, and will take the Belfast-Bangor train after 6:30pm, he can actually, believe it or not, use the Bus Rambler ticket on the train.

 

[bella]

No - he's due to arrive G Victoria Street/Europa by airport bus on Thursday at 18.20 to catch 18 32 or next train (if bus late) to Bangor where he is being met. Was looking for a through ticket with bus and train.

 

[Flying Snail]

No - he's due to arrive G Victoria Street/Europa by airport bus on Thursday at 18.20 to catch 18 32 or next train (if bus late) to Bangor where he is being met. Was looking for a through ticket with bus and train.

There aren't combined bus and rail singe tickets, as I posted you can buy the i-link card online but only if there is enough time to have it posted so if it's this Thursday then no.

Otherwise the only option is two singles, bus in cash to the driver, rail at the station ticket office.

 

[danm14]

There aren't combined bus and rail singe tickets, as I posted you can buy the i-link card online but only if there is enough time to have it posted so if it's this Thursday then no.

Otherwise the only option is two singles, bus in cash to the driver, rail at the station ticket office.

There is one alternative, though it may leave you temporarily £1.50 out of pocket compared to separate single tickets. Much more likely it'll save you £4.50 though.

Buy a £9.50 Bus Rambler ticket on the bus, and ask to use this on the train under the Ticket Transfer policy.

The Ticket Transfer policy states that Sunday Bus Rambler tickets can be used on the train after 6:30pm. The Bus Rambler ticket that's available daily over the summer is a promotional extension of the Sunday Bus Rambler, and Translink have previously confirmed on Twitter that the transfer applies daily, not just on Sunday.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Translink_NI/status/1075064445309739008

(They have, confusingly, also confirmed on Twitter that the transfer doesn't apply daily, and is restricted to Sundays, and it's not clear which is the actual intention. So if the Bus Rambler is refused on the train, buy a rail single and then chase Translink for the extra £1.50 paid)

 

[island]

So he can buy the £14 ticket on the bus straight through to Bangor without wasting time buying a rail ticket at Great Victoria (and maybe missing connection)? Does the bus take contactless?

Ulsterbus do not sell train tickets and are cash only.

 

[Flying Snail]

Correction, on checking the awful Translink website it is possible to buy the single bus ticket from Belfast International to Europa bus station online and present it as a printed or phone ticket.

It is the same price as buying on-board, £8 so no benefit other than not paying cash if that bothers you. You would still have to buy the rail ticket separately at GVS.

https://secure.translink.co.uk/Buy-Online/Desktop/Ulsterbus-300-service/Step-1/

 

[danm14]

You can also buy a rail day m-ticket for Belfast-Bangor on the (terribly flaky) mLink Android/iOS app.

The day ticket is 20p more expensive than a single

 

[sheff1]

You can buy a Zone 3 i-link card at Belfast International Airport Welcome Centre.

 

[bella]

It'll be 2 separate purchases I think or the card at the Welcome Centre.

Many thanks all.