Skip to main content

Translink launches ticketing system for Glider bus network

Translink has unveiled its future ticketing system at the launch of the Glider bus rapid transit network in Belfast. The technology will allow riders with more flexible options to pay for journeys, the company says. Riders will be able to pay with cash, smartcard and contactless payment cards, mobile payments, online accounts and Translink smart cards. Flowbird developed the system and a back-office architecture called CloudFare. It is intended to allow administrators to monitor and control ticketing
September 19, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

376 Translink has unveiled its future ticketing system at the launch of the Glider bus rapid transit network in Belfast. The technology will allow riders with more flexible options to pay for journeys, the company says. 

Riders will be able to pay with cash, smartcard and contactless payment cards, mobile payments, online accounts and Translink smart cards. 

Flowbird developed the system and a back-office architecture called CloudFare. It is intended to allow administrators to monitor and control ticketing devices directly, view route performance statistics in real-time, set automatic system alerts, manage passenger accounts and run management reports. 

Additionally, Flowbird has installed 114 self-service retail units at halts along the network, supplied 230 platform validators and provided 45 handheld inspection devices. Passengers can buy tickets, top-up smartcards, collect tickets purchased online and validate journeys before boarding. 

Next year, the ticketing system will be introduced on all Translink Metro and Ulsterbus services, followed by NI Railways in 2020. Riders will also be provided with a customer smartcard portal and online top-ups in 2021. 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Smart payment ticket for LA commuters
    June 20, 2013
    Xerox’s universal payment system, TAP, now makes it faster and simpler for passengers in Southern California to transfer between passenger trains, buses, subway and light rail. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and Metrolink recently teamed up with Xerox to develop TAP-enabled Metrolink tickets that are compatible with the Metro TAP smart fare payment system.
  • Manchester seeks smart but not selective transport solutions
    January 25, 2018
    Smarter transport relies on better communications both with travellers and between transport providers. Andrew Williams reports. Inrix’s prediction that the cost of traffic congestion will rise by 63% to £21bn per year by 2030 clearly illustrates that, in addition to the ongoing inconvenience and inefficiency, ongoing gridlock is a significant drain on the economy. It is against this backdrop that a Cisco-led consortium has launched CitySpire, a smart transport programme that uses location-based services a
  • Vix enables UK first for Stagecoach bus passengers
    June 25, 2012
    A new NFC Phone application developed by Vix is enabling a UK first for Stagecoach bus passengers in Cambridge. The innovative trial, which could lead to a nationwide roll out across select bus and rail services next year, is enabling the small cross section of participating bus users to receive, store and validate their bus tickets using their mobile phone.
  • West Midlands pilots the UK’s first MaaS
    November 14, 2017
    Mobility-as-a-Service is being piloted in the UK’s second largest metropolitan area and will shortly be opened to the travelling public. A fully operational Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) offering is being piloted in the West Midlands region of the UK. Covering seven local authorities which make up the West Midlands metropolitan area and population of 2.8 million, the service is being provided through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), Finnish company MaaS Global