LAST week, Translink launched their third annual Bus and Train Week campaign, which saw some pretty amazing special offers made available to passengers. The idea behind the week is to encourage people to give public transport a chance rather than constantly relying on the car. 
There were promotions to suit everyone, from a 20 per cent discount on return tickets purchased before 9.30am for commuters to avail of to an £18 Family and Friends Ticket that allowed up to two adults and four children to enjoy unlimited travel throughout Northern Ireland for the day.
Last year, Translink reported an increase of more than 200,000 extra passengers during their Bus and Train promotion and I’d hope that this year shows similar numbers, if not a marked improvement on them. As it is, about 1.5 million people in Northern Ireland are using public transport each week, so it’s clearly an important lifeline for many. 
Since learning to drive, I’ve been guilty of taking the car pretty much everywhere. 
The option of taking the bus rarely enters my mind because the car is just so much more convenient. I can go directly to where I want to go, have plenty of storage for anything I need to bring with me or end up buying while on an adventure and I’ve no real time constraints to worry about unless they’re ones I’ve put in place myself. It just feels a lot freer and easier altogether.
However, once I realised that Translink were running a promotion, I decided to give the bus a go again. It’s only been a few years since I was a regular user of the bus but things have certainly changed in that short time. 
When I first started taking the bus to school, we often had some pretty questionable buses turn up. 
I can still vividly remember one in particular as it was little more than an overgrown tin can with seats that lacked seatbelts but were upholstered in fabric that may have been quite nice back in the sixties and what sounded like a repurposed tractor engine to power the whole thing. I was shocked that it managed to survive the journey into town with the hordes of schoolchildren jostling around inside it. 
Thankfully I haven’t spotted it in many years now so hopefully it’s finally having a chance to enjoy retirement in a museum somewhere. It looked like it had been on the go for a few years too many so it had certainly earned itself a rest. In fact, many of the buses have had a bit of an upgrade to the point where they’re actually quite comfortable. 
It was a blisteringly warm on Thursday when I decided to take a wee jaunt to Belfast for the day to make best use of the free returns promotion that was running. A swanky double decker pulled up at the stop and I parted with a grand total of £12.50. Not bad for a journey that totals more than 150 miles and takes just over four hours. 
The bus was a far cry from what I was used to. I settled into a leather seat with sufficient leg room and a built-in USB charging port. The cold air was a welcome breeze to the top of my head and to top it all off, the free Wi-Fi was reliable enough that I was able to stay connected the whole time. 
Had I had to pay for the return journey, I might not have felt it such good value. There wasn’t any pressing need for my daytrip except for enjoying a change of scenery but I do suppose that if the journey was an essential one for the likes of an appointment at the Royal or for a meeting then it works out just marginally cheaper than driving up in a car and paying for parking.
When we’re driving, we’re more focused on the road, looking out for any idiots taking risks and trying to judge which potholes will do the least amount of damage. 
To let someone else take over that responsibility is quite a refreshing feeling. Instead of intense concentration, you can let your mind wander and take a little bit of time out. The seats are now comfortable enough that you could even have a quick nap if that’s what tickles your fancy. For me, it was a chance to stick my headphones in to listen to a true crime podcast and become completely engulfed in the drama of it all.
It was a shame to see the bus quite empty on both my journeys that day. I’d thought many more would have jumped at the opportunity to avail of the special offers. 
Perhaps they did and my experience was just an anomaly, or maybe everyone just wanted to stay at home and enjoy the good weather rather than spend precious hours of good weather stuck on a bus. 
From speaking to some people, it seems that there were quite a few people who didn’t even know that the event was on so maybe it was partially down to a lack of awareness. 
There is a clear need for a public transport service but there is always more that could be done to improve it. For leisurely users, it’s fine because in general they don’t mind the bus being a few minutes late but for those who are sticking to strict schedules, a bus pulling up at twenty past the hour when it should have been there ten minutes ago can have a huge impact on how smoothly the day runs. 
In saying that, my love for the bus has been rekindled somewhat. 
To be able to sit down and watch the world pass by for a few hours is really something special and something that many don’t feel they have time for any more.