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

  • Intermodal e-ticketing to be rolled out in Durban
    March 23, 2012
    Hoeft & Wessel, together with the Standard Bank and the National Department of Transport in South Africa, is developing an e-ticketing solution based on the EMV contactless system.
  • Vehicle identification systems aid dynamic bus operations
    April 24, 2013
    David Crawford looks at a global trend towards more efficiency in less space As buses gain increased profile in the public transport mix needed for modal shift, attention is turning towards improving terminal layouts for more efficient handling of services and passengers. Locations, too, tend to be in central areas of cities, where sites are restricted and land values high. Enter the dynamic bus station, which uses modern vehicle identification systems to optimise space use and streamline service operation
  • Your life in their hands
    March 27, 2018
    Rail, bus and taxi operators are realising significant savings by switching to ride scheduling, booking and monitoring apps that help them greatly automate their operations - while simultaneously offering their smartphone-wielding passengers the information they crave. Indeed, most of today’s transportation apps offer customers instant access to your system via mobile phone, where they can book and pay for a ride, get real-time status on their train, bus, or taxi - greatly reducing the overhead you normally
  • Hitachi Rail Europe wins UK first traffic management contract
    July 28, 2015
    Passengers on some of the busiest commuter lines in the UK can look forward to more frequent and more reliable trains following a deal to provide new traffic management technology on the Thameslink route through central London. Network Rail and the Thameslink Programme have signed a contract with Hitachi Rail Europe (HRE) to deliver a step-change in technology through state-of-the-art traffic management technology.