Translink's Glider is celebrating its first anniversary today.
Over two million additional Glider passenger journeys were made in comparison to previous bus journeys taken along the route. Translink said this is an increase of over 30% - which means around 1.67 million fewer car journeys, reducing congestion and enhancing city air quality.
Representing a £90 million investment funded by the Department for Infrastructure, Glider is Translink’s first direct cross-city service connecting east and west Belfast linking into Titanic Quarter via the city centre.
Translink said that Glider’s popularity contributed to its overall 84.5million passenger journeys across Northern Ireland in 2018/19, which is the highest level in over 20 years. This supports the draft Programme for Government which recognises the vital role of public transport in developing a more competitive and prosperous region.
Marking the one-year milestone, three local tourism and heritage development organisations, EastSide Tourism, Fáilte Feirste Thiar and the Titanic Foundation have launched a special ‘Glider Experience’ guide to exploring the city featuring their top-rated attractions that are all accessible by Glider.
Celebrating Glider’s first year of operation, Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive, said: “As Glider grows from strength to strength, we’ve been able to invest in two new vehicles and Phase 2, running between north and south Belfast, has also been announced as part of the Belfast Region City Deal. Over the past year, Glider’s also sparked great interest from other UK and European transport authorities who’ve come here to find out more about our Glider system.
“This new ‘Glider Experience’ Guide created by local heritage and tourism groups is a real tribute to the unique energy, creativity, culture and innovation found across Belfast and demonstrates just how much Glider connects people to their city– our thanks to everyone involved in its development and joining the celebrations!"
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor John Finucane, added: “I’d like to add my congratulations to Translink on the Glider’s first birthday. An additional two million passenger journeys is an incredible achievement in one year – and I look forward to seeing those figures continuing to rise.
“We’ve committed to promoting sustainable transport in the city as part of our Belfast Agenda; it’s vital that we all seek to decrease our dependency on cars for the sake of the environment."
During its first year in operation, Glider has received multiple industry recognition awards, including the 'Best Marketing Initiative' at the Belfast Business Awards. The 18-metre long articulated Glider vehicles use the latest diesel-electric hybrid engine technology delivering a smoother take off from halts, lower noise, reduced vibration and lower emissions.
Construction of new bus lanes to accommodate Gliders was controversial and there have been complaints about overcrowding on rush-hour services, but Translink state that overall feedback has been positive.
Translink however said passenger feedback overall had been positive.
An Economic Impact Report released earlier this year found that investment in public transport generates £4 in the wider economy for every £1 invested. This shows that with the introduction of the Glider, public transport has enabled substantial progress towards the NI government’s aims.
Source: Written from press release
