27th June 2006
The Get Home Safe Night Bus Service which was launched as a pilot 16 week programme on Monday 20th March finished with the last service operating on Saturday 24th June 2006.
The project provided scheduled bus services from 1.15am until 2.45am for late night revellers travelling home from Belfast City Centre to various locations throughout the city.
The initiative was launched by Minister David Hanson in a high profile event which was complemented with a strategic marketing campaign with its own brand using: posters, credit card leaflets, bus stop information, advertisements in the local press, promotional teams in pubs and clubs, and 2500 promotional vouchers.
The project was designed to operate for 16 weeks and while it has proved a worthwhile exercise providing valuable information for all the partners involved, the trial period has come to an end and the Get Home Night Bus service ceased operating after Saturday night - 24th June 2006.
The Get Home Safe partnership will continue to explore all opportunities in order to revisit this service. Any future reintroduction of the service will however depend on both passenger demand and available funding.
Eve Bremner Community Safety Manager with Belfast City Council said:
“It is with disappointment that the Get Home Safe night bus pilot scheme is ending. It took nearly 2 years to develop the 16 week pilot and was supported by a considerable investment from volunteers, and the public and private purse. Despite the achievements of the scheme, and the hard work and dedication of our partners, the service cannot be continued due to a lack of usage. I would like to pay tribute to the volunteers who assisted each weekend with the bus service and all our partners who invested their time and resources in trying to make this project work. Following on from this, we will use the lessons learnt to inform our future work and the development of night time transport throughout the city.”
Roy Sloan Translink District Manager said:
“As a key partner in this scheme Translink are disappointed that this pilot project is coming to an end. The scheme provided a real, safe alternative for people travelling home from the city centre after a late night out. The project’s performance was continually reviewed and changes where made to the service including the introduction of a north Belfast route, to stimulate and increase demand.
We have explored all possibilities in order to retain this service but regrettably it will end after the pilot period. We would like to highlight that Translink’s Nightlink services will continue to operate as normal.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
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