Belfast Metro and Glider

Not a metro. Belfast Metro is the name of the city’s bus network, not a railway. The Glider is bus rapid transit: articulated vehicles with their own lanes, platform-style halts and off-board ticketing, which makes it feel like light rail without being one.

Belfast has no rail metro, but it has the closest bus equivalent in the UK. Glider routes cross the city east to west and run out to the Titanic Quarter on segregated lanes, with tickets bought before boarding and all doors open at each halt. The ordinary Metro buses fill in everywhere else, and both share one fare system with Northern Ireland Railways.

Which ticket should you buy?

Serves: Belfast
Operator: Translink
Opened: 2018
Fares by: Zonal, shared across bus, Glider and local rail

Belfast Metro and Glider — Integrated network — bus rapid transit and city bus — Photo: 4300streetcar · CC BY 4.0

Ticket options

Metro or Glider single

£2.30

Best for One trip across the city

Buy at the halt before boarding a Glider; on Metro buses you can pay the driver.

dayLink

£4.20

Best for Two or more journeys

Unlimited Metro and Glider travel in Belfast for a day.

dayLink Plus (adds rail)

£7.50

Best for Reaching Lisburn, Bangor or the airport

Adds NI Railways services within the Belfast area.

iLink zone 1, weekly

£23.50

Best for A week in the city

Covers bus, Glider and rail across the Belfast zone.

Airport Express 300

£12.00 return

Best for Belfast International Airport

A separate coach service; city tickets are not valid. Belfast City Airport is reached by train instead.

Fares checked May 2026. Confirm on the operator’s own fares page before you buy.

Is the day ticket worth it?

Comparing the Metro or Glider single at £2.30 with the dayLink at £4.20. The day ticket becomes the cheaper choice from your second journey onwards.

Worked out from the two prices above, so it always matches the fares on this page. Confirm with the operator before you travel.
Journeys in a day	Singles cost	Against the day ticket
1	£2.30	£1.90 cheaper
2	£4.60	40p more
3	£6.90	£2.70 more
4	£9.20	£5.00 more

How to pay

Contactless on board and at Glider halt machines
The mLink app for mobile tickets
Smartlink cards, topped up at Translink centres

Concessions

Under 5s travel free.
Children 5–15 pay roughly half fare.
Over 60s resident in Northern Ireland travel free with a SmartPass; visitors are not eligible.

Worth knowing

Buy before you board a Glider. The halts have machines and the vehicles do not sell tickets.
Belfast Grand Central is now the hub for rail and coach, and the Glider G2 links it to the Titanic Quarter.
The two airports are handled completely differently: International by the 300 coach, City by train from Sydenham. Do not buy the wrong one.

Photos

A Glider in central Belfast Nick Birse · CC BY-SA 4.0

A Metro bus in Belfast Thomas Robinson · CC BY-SA 4.0

Common questions

How much is a single on the Belfast Metro & Glider?: The cheapest single listed is £2.30 (Metro or Glider single).
Is a day ticket worth it on the Belfast Metro & Glider?: It pays for itself on your second journey. The dayLink costs £4.20 and the Metro or Glider single £2.30, so 2 singles come to £4.60.
Can I pay with a contactless card on the Belfast Metro & Glider?: Yes. Contactless on board and at Glider halt machines.
What do children pay on the Belfast Metro & Glider?: Under 5s travel free.