Stephen Greer
BBC News NI reporting from Groomsport

Linda Robinson from Groomsport says the bus service is invaluable to the people of the area, but she’s concerned about the impact that public transport is having on the environment.

"Double-decker buses go along the old road, which is a very tiny road. Sometimes there's nobody on the bus at all," she said.

"Something smaller or a more economically environmentally friendly bus probably would be suitable.

“We've used it, certainly in the winter, nipping in and out into Bangor, and it's been really handy for us. I think the frequency is good for all that need it.''

Rebekah Logan
Live page reporter

While the new Grand Central Station is the focal point of public transport in Belfast, thousands of buses, and eventully trains, will leave the station every week transporting passengers right across Northern Ireland.

Throughout today we'll be looking at some of those harder-to-reach areas and exploring what public transport is like for people living outside of Belfast.

Most importantly, we want to hear your stories. What's public transport like in your area? Are you able to get the bus or train? Do you cycle or walk?

Click this link to share your story and a selfie with us and you could be featured on this live page.

Broadly speaking, there are two people in charge of public transport in Northern Ireland. Those people are Chris Conway and John O'Dowd.

Chris Conway is the CEO of Translink. Mr Conway graduated from the University of Ulster with a BSc in Engineering and is member of the Board of Trustees of Young Enterprise NI.

Mr Conway is also a member of CBI Northern Ireland Council and Business in the Community Advisory Board.

John O’Dowd is the Minister for Infrastructure in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Mr O’Dowd oversees the Department for Infrastructure, which aims to "improve quality of life by securing transport and water infrastructure and shaping the region's long-term strategic development”.

Mr O’Dowd is a member of Sinn Féin and has been an MLA for Upper Bann since 2003.

For those wondering what the new station means for metro buses in Belfast, only buses coming from Belfast City Airport and various Park and Rides will use the new hub.

For the rest of Belfast's metro buses, it's business as usual.

While work continues at the new Grand Central Station, bike racks are not yet ready, despite buses being operational.

Some cyclists using public transport this morning have taken it upon themselves to find a place to lock their bike.

Our reporter Elaine Mitchell has arrived at Grand Central Station in Belfast at 09:24 BST, two and a half hours after leaving Glenarm.

She was competing against fellow reporter Kelly Bonner to see who could get to Belfast fastest.

Kelly Bonner arrived more than an hour earlier than Elaine, who was relying on public transport.

Good Morning Ulster's Sarah Brett had more to do this morning than just present a live radio programme from the new station.

Two different people asked her where to get the bus from. Fingers crossed she sent them to the right platform.

Speaking to the live page after the programme she said: "It felt very different to be in such a modern space in Belfast city centre and it really did feel like the kind of place that my children's children will be using.

"I really enjoyed Kelly and Elaine's battle to get here, it would have been great if public transport had won but it was lovely hearing about her journey from Glenarm."

Listen back to the programme now on BBC Sounds by clicking here.

Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd told the Good Morning Ulster programme that "we have to correct regional imbalance".

"There's no point talking to someone in rural Fermanagh about coming out of your private car when they can't get access to a bus."

The minister says he wants to "equalise the provision of public transport services" across Norther Ireland.

"We have to move away from the old reliance on simply building roads."

Asked if Northern Ireland needs a separate agency to deal with public transport, Mr O'Dowd says "we need less bureaucracy and more delivering".

On the controversy around Irish signage in the new station, the Minister for Infrastructure says that he wants "to see dual signage across our society," but that he is "confident" the matter will be resolved.

Barry O'Connor
BBC News NI

We're not just talking about buses and trains today; there are lots of ways that people can travel around.

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll tells BBC News NI it is "good to have alternative travel" and to not be "solely reliant" on a car.

He travels from his office in west Belfast to Stormont by bicycle.

"Sometimes the road can be difficult to travel on, but it's something I encourage everyone to take up," he says.

"It works for me when I don't have the kids."

The west Belfast assembly member is the deputy chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling.

Do you cycle in and out to work, or what puts you off doing it? Share your story here., external

The Minister for Infrastructure, John O'Dowd, says the Grand Central Station is a "statement about the future".

"The building is iconic, not only in Belfast but for the island," Mr O'Dowd told BBC News NI. "We now will be moving toward more investment in our public transport system."

When asked about the cost of the construction of the station, the Sinn Féin MLA suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic was partly the cause of higher than expected costs.

Barry O'Connor
BBC News NI reporting from Grand Central Station

There has been plenty of reaction from commuters about the new transport hub in Belfast's city centre.

Ben says the building is "class" and "really impressive."

Heather says the building “looks fabulous, really state of the art.”

Travelling from Lisburn, she takes the park and ride into the city centre.

"I never have any complaints from the park and ride; it's always good for me."

Emma says her commute in “was fine," but that while “public transport is trying to improve, it could be much better, and there is not much incentive to use it.”

Nick travelled to the new station from Moira; he says his journey was “convoluted” due to the bus replacement service.

“I’ll probably appreciate it more when the trains start.”

He says public transport in Northern Ireland has been “pretty dire up to now,” but the new hub is “impressive.”

Chris Conway says Translink is engaging with stakeholders after its decision not to use the Irish language on its main signage at the new Grand Central Station.

''We've looked at the languages act as it sits at the minute, and we are very keen to work with Irish and Ulster Scot's language commissioners when Stormont implement these positions," he added.

''Without the commissioners at the minute, we will meet and have already met with community and political groups over this issue, as we want it to be a shared space.''

Louise Cullen
BBC NI Agriculture & Environment Correspondent

Transport has a massive role to play in addressing our climate change commitments, which are legally binding.

Transport is the second-highest emitter of greenhouse gases in NI.

It currently contributes 18.1% of greenhouse gases.

The clock is ticking here. We have interim targets for 2030 and 2040, plus that big goal of net zero in 2050, so transport has got to pull its socks up, and this is a big part of it.

There is a mental shift that people are going to have to start to make, me included.

But it is a big jump because we are a rural nation and we are very used to using our cars to get around.

Michael Walsh told our reporter Elaine Mitchell that he pays £180 per month for public transport but makes his "money back" due to the amount of journeys he takes per day.

He says journeys from Larne to Belfast can be "spotty at times".

However, Mr Walsh says travelling by bus means that he can save money, listen to music, and catch up on emails.

Kelly Bonner has arrived at Grand Central Station, winning the race against Elaine Mitchell.

Our two reporters were competing to get from Glenarm to Belfast, and Kelly has pipped Elaine by a few minutes.

However, Elaine says those she spoke to say they choose to get the bus as it allows them to "decompress and relax" after work before going home.

''We're feeling really good, very proud of all the work the team has done.''

Translink CEO Chris Conway has been speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.

''We'd always said early autumn, and that's still the target; if anything, we've opened the bus station a little earlier.''

When asked about the practicality for passengers in rural areas, Mr Conway said "this is only the beginning".

"We needed the capacity in the hub to allow us to start increasing the capacity across the nation," he said.

"The plan is to grow services, and now we can start to do that.''

''We will need financial support, we are one of the lowest funded regions in the UK for public transport.''

When asked about north south glider services Conway ''he'd hope the next phase of implementation will take place 2025/26.''

Mark Simpson
BBC News NI community correspondent

Translink say they expect trains to start running at Belfast’s new Grand Central Station in the near future.

Speaking as the new transport hub opened for buses only, chief executive Chris Conway said train services are scheduled to begin in “early autumn".

He did not announce a specific date.

There are hopes that trains could start running by mid-October.

Mr Conway said: “We’ve always said that the full station would open in early autumn, and we’re still on plan for that.

“If anything, we’ve opened the bus (services) a little bit earlier (than scheduled), and that’s where we are at the minute.

“We’re making really good progress with the safety authorisation process, and I hope that the safety authority will be able to give us good news soon.”

John Campbell
BBC News NI economics and business editor

Public spending per head on public transport in NI is less than half of what they spend in Scotland and England.

According to 2022 figures, we were spending around £200 per head on public transport; in Wales it was about £300, and in England and Scotland, where they have much more rail, it was around £450.

We are really far behind on that; our rail system here is so shrunken.

The plan to expand rail services over the next 25 years was published recently.

When you look at the numbers, it's not completely outlandish, but it would involve a massive shift in mindset.

We would have to look at the NI budget and decide to spend less on roads and more on public transport, and I don't think that conversation has really started yet.

Commuters travelling through Grand Central Station have been sharing their thoughts on the new hub with BBC News NI.

Richard says, that his commute from Lisburn was ”straight forward”.

Speaking about the new transport hub he says, "it's impressive, I've just sent a picture of it to my wife".

Claire has told BBC News NI the new station “was well needed."

Her commute today was, “a bit annoying having to get off the train in Lisburn and get on the bus.”

Another commuter, Ash, says the new station has "a metropolitan feel about it, which is fitting for a city.

"It looks good; it looks fresh," he added.

Back to our race now. When we last heard from our reporter Kelly Bonner, she told us she was "a bit anxious" about her chances against Elaine Mitchell due to the increasing traffic.

Kelly is driving from Glenarm to Belfast, while Elaine is taking the same journey on the bus.

However, she told Good Morning Ulster that her sat-nav was indicating she would be arriving in Belfast shortly after 08:00 BST.