Patrick Magee
BBC News NI reporting from Belfast

Jade Walker travels mostly from east Belfast. She says she has "no issues with public transport".

However, she suggests that her friends that "live further away" may experience problems with public transport.

Jordan Buller is from Belfast. He told BBC News NI that "the Sunday service could do with improvement".

"Instead of every hour, it could be more regular".

Barry O'Connor
BBC News NI reporting from west Belfast

Deaglan uses public transport to get to work, he says: "on the most part I think it's great, you get the odd delay but 90% of the time it's great."

"The only issue with my stop and a lot in west Belfast is the lack of bus shelters, especially as we head into winter.

"It's horrible waiting on a delayed bus and getting absolutely soaked," he added.

But good news seems to be on the horizon for Deaglan, he says: "I see local reps and Translink have proposed bus shelters along the road, so that would be great to finally see."

Adam Mandeville
BBC News NI

In our last post we reported the comments made by the west Belfast MLA about the price of public transport. But if you're looking to travel for less there is some good news. There are a number of passes that can help reduce the cost of bus and train travel here in Northern Ireland:

• Those aged 60 and over can apply for Smart Passes, entitling holders to free bus and train travel.
• Various passes entitling holders to free bus and train travel are available to people who are registered blind and war disabled pensioners.
• Other travel passes are available to: people who get the mobility component of PIP; people who have had a driving license refused or revoked on medical grounds; people who have a recognised learning disability; and people who are partially sighted
• Translink offers y-Link cards, which entitle holders to a third off Translink bus and train fares and up to 50% off cross-border fares, to those aged 16-23.

Barry O'Connor
BBC News NI

How much are you paying to use public transport and do you think it's good value for money?

Gerry Carroll, the People Before Profit MLA for west Belfast, says that "obviously transport is under-invested.

"The funding gap should be made up by central government."

"But really, the executive parties haven't really done a good enough job in standing up for public services."

"The fact Translink are passing the burden onto working class communities is a negative and regressive move," he says.

"More and more people are being priced out of public transport."

How much is a bus or train journey in your area? Let us know by clicking this link to our contact form.

Patrick got in touch with us via the contact form at the side of the page. He lives in Seahill and says that those in the area are "spoilt having the train-line into and out of Belfast quite literally on our doorstep".

"It's reliable, reasonably priced and great to turn driving time into working time when headed to the city for meetings."

However, Patrick admits that it "can be hard to go back towards Belfast late at night with Belfast bound services seeming to stop hours before the Bangor bound services".

Ross McCrea
BBC News NI reporting from Portadown

In Portadown station, Neil Thornton says he thinks public transport in the area is “terrible”.

Currently, trains operating from Portadown station can only get to Lisburn train station due to line maintenance work. Bus services can be used as alternatives from Lisburn and Belfast.

Neil mentioned difficulties getting to places like Armagh, saying the buses “sometimes come, but sometimes they don’t”.

“It has always been terrible, and it’s worse than ever now,” he added. “Nothing connects up to anything, it really cuts your options.”

Adam Mandeville
BBC News NI reporting from Belfast city centre

We have talked a lot about buses, trains, and bicycles throughout today - but for many, walking is just as big a part of their life.

I caught up with the Walkie Talkie Girlies Society at Queen’s University Belfast, which aims to provide a way for women to walk safely around the city.

The group was originally created by two law students after one of the co-founders felt unsafe walking home.

A society spokesperson told BBC News NI that the group hosts "weekly walks to create a safe space to exercise, socialise and get outdoors."

The spokesperson also said that the "overwhelmingly positive response from students, local residents and the media, has made us truly realise the importance of community and uplifting each other.”

Jake Liggett
BBC News NI reporting from Omagh

There were mixed opinions on the new transport hub at the Crevenagh Road park and ride in Omagh.

Mel, who was dropping a passenger off, told me that she’s excited to see the new transport hub but wishes the journey time from Omagh was shorter; that’s the main reason why she usually drives.

Charlie, who was getting an express bus to Belfast, told me that “a bus stops just a bus stop” and that he just uses it as a means of getting to work, so it won’t matter if it's new or not.

Barry O'Connor
BBC News NI reporting from Randalstown

At the Ballygrooby park and share, just off the exit of the M2, at the main entrance of Randalstown, Alliance Party councillor Jay Burbank says "there is no bus connection to this park and share."

The site has around 30 car parking spaces.

He tells BBC News NI: "You can see by the use here, there is definitely demand in the area for some better integrated public transport connection for commuters."

"The park and ride facilities in different parts of south Antrim are fully serviced, but Randalstown is bigger than a lot of the villages that are connected to those parks and rides," he adds.

"In the future, it would be good to see some kind of capital investment at this site. It would be good if services could stop here."

Andrew McNair
BBC News NI reporting from east Belfast

Since the launch of the Belfast Bikes in 2015, more than 400 have been placed at over 50 docking stations across the city.

Green Party Councillor Brian Smyth was behind a campaign to get Castlereagh Road's first docking station, but says it "took years to secure".

He now wants to see new cycle lanes linking south-east Belfast with the city centre and Belfast Bike docking stations in strategic places along the way.

Plans are already in place to build new lanes on the Ravenhill Road next year, but Mr Smyth says "a better approach" is needed to install the bikes “close to places where cyclists can actually use them.”

“The docking station at Lisnasharagh Leisure Centre, for example, has seen very poor demand because it’s a couple of miles from any others.”

Mr Smyth says this indicates that there is an economic case for installing more docking stations.

The latest figures show that there were 26,974 registered users as of 2023.

Emma Orr
BBC News NI reporting from Ballintoy

Business owner Cory McGinn says he’s had a largely positive experience with customers and staff using the services daily but believes Ballintoy, which he describes as a “tourist hotspot," could benefit from later times.

“Through the day the bus service is really good; you see people hopping on, hopping off; the timetables are good; people are able to travel to and from each attraction and spend time in Ballintoy."

Ballintoy is located near both the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and Giant’s Causeway.

However, Mr McGinn is more critical of services later in the day.

"Public transport falls apart in the evening. The last bus (to Ballycastle) is at 18:32 BST. Loads of times I’ve had customers enjoying their time, and then they think, 'Oh no, the bus is here in twenty minutes, and that’s them done for the day; I’ve lost their business'."

“Instead of every 30 minutes if there was a bus on the hour until eight thirty or nine, you’d see a lot more people using them for days out."

Jon, who lives in Omagh, tells us that he has commuted to work for sixteen years via car, as "there is simply no other reliable option towards Belfast, Dublin, or Donegal".

Jon says that, although "public transport is a priority," the roads in the area are not "safe to drive on".

"Please get that sorted first, rather than wait another 25 years for a rail link."

Patrick Magee
BBC News NI reporting from Belfast city centre

"Half the time it doesn’t arrive on time, the other times buses don’t show up; I was late coming in this morning on the bus."

Josh Graham lives in Ballycastle, but works in Belfast and says it can sometimes be "quite difficult" travelling between the two areas.

"The prices keep going up and up, and we’re not seeing any improvement," he told BBC News NI.

"To me it doesn’t feel very effectively planned out, there needs to be a better plan."

Adam Mandeville
BBC News NI reporting from Belfast city centre

Michael Stewart, Belfast Night Czar, told BBC News NI that late night public transport is "essential" to ensuring Belfast has a "thriving night-time economy".

"The night time economy in Northern Ireland is worth £3.2 billion."

Mr Stewart says that late night connectivity is one of his main priorities as night Czar.

"I'm told the lack of late-night connectivity is a funding issue", says Mr Stewart.

"We all understand the constraints on government departments regarding funding, but the introduction of late-night transport will pay dividends for business, customers and all involved in the night time economy.”

Caroline has got in touch to say "as a wheelchair user living in a rural location, public transport is extremely difficult to access".

"Lack of provision coupled with little investment by the Department for Infrastructure compounds difficulties further. Only one wheelchair user at a time can travel on a bus," she added.

"If the space is being occupied by a pram or other passengers and they refuse to move, then you cannot travel. This happened to me in May 2024."

Fiona Hawkes, who lives in Omagh, says that bus services where she lives are "very poor".

"It takes three hours from leaving Omagh to get to Sprucefield and almost two to get to Portadown.

Ms Hawkes says that the "whole push is for cross-border transport and a big fancy station instead of people in Northern Ireland getting around their own country".

"All the transport is concentrated in Belfast or towards Dublin."

Image source, Lynda Johnston

Lynda Johnston from Magheralin says timetable restrictions mean she has struggled to socialise this summer.

She says she would often get the train from Moira at the weekend to meet up with friends for a late lunch and a few cocktails, but said "we have started to go out about 3pm, going home around 9-10pm because the trains don't run late enough for a good night out".

"I'm looking forward to the trains running again, because I haven't met up with my friends for a night out all summer," she added.

Mike McBride
BBC News NI

Colum Delaney from the Royal National Institute of Blind People in Northern Ireland (RNIB NI) says members of their team visited the new Belfast Grand Central Station on Thursday to discuss accessibility issues with Translink.

Concerns had been raised that bus announcements are not being heard over a loudspeaker system at the new station.

Mr Delaney told BBC News NI that he wants to ensure people who are visually impaired are aware of the options available to them navigating the site.

Image source, Getty Images

"I know for many people, especially for people with visual impairments, that changes to what people are used to when it comes to public transport can be incredibly daunting," he said.

Mr Delaney says one impressive feature of the new station is the use of NaviLens codes, which are markings placed throughout a building to tell someone precisely where they are using an app on their mobile phone.

He says the transport focus group will continue to liaise with RNIB NI members to reflect their feedback on the new station and continue to work with Translink to make improvements where needed going forward.

Grainne Connolly
BBC News NI reporting from the North West Transport hub

Mark Heron and Donna Manton say public transport here is "magic".

The couple live in Australia, but have a holiday home in Donegal and say the buses are "punctual and easy" to catch.

“Sometimes the online timetables are hard to understand with the different providers cross-border," said Mark.

"But compared to Australia, where we live, it's not timely—you tend not to use it because they don’t go as often. Here, it's actually easier to use public transport because they’re more frequent.

“We would tend to use it a lot more when we’re here, loads more than when we’re in Australia.”

We have heard from a lot of you in Fermanagh today about your public transport woes.

Josiah Johnston is from Fermanagh but lives in Belfast. He says that the public transport services offered in Fermanagh mean he does not see his parents "that often".

"The buses don't go directly to Belfast. It's an hour and a half in the car; on the bus it's almost three hours," he said.

"It puts me off using the bus."