Europa Bus Station

How to review a station??? It’s clean and well signposted to let you know where you need to get to. Main issue is that even while there is an information area the people at the ticket areas can be stuck giving out info for a long time. You need your ticket for train and bus beforehand and several times I have missed my departure due to sellers being tied up. One time was on queue for 15 minutes and still missed bus as one of the queues was asked to join another as the seller was going on break. It’s not good having only one booth open at peak times. Even people collecting pre purchased tickets missed their departure. Really needs some work here.

Jane T is is preety right it is really poor run down looking 1950’s style stalls in way queues for Londonderry or Dublin buses blocking your way and ticket box before boarding, Translink are Poor services compared to Malaga trains & England UK, Those rough noisy un-​helpful security men grey fined haired man done over 20 yrs here not disability helpful or friendly was called at weekend of sat 29−08−15 at Great Vic St instead of him rail authorites should be deployed on all trains over packed in broad day time hours with over binged hangover abusive drunken behaviour youth overcrowded trains from 12 noon from Portadown /​Lurgan alone kicking chairs, screaming singing loud deafen you drinking alcohol on board same more girls jammed on at Lisburn station 1.15pm a fella with learning disabilities they spotted behind him using his mobile camera phone to the others not looking pretended with camera off at girls started a big row clash on greater, he grabbed his bag phone got up cheeky bitches shouting Queer not get pass us no sign conductor or another wee stop would saved him hassle if train would stopped at Hilden –Lambeg he would jumped off safety lost mind let me pass so swung balm of hand light torch to her head screamed as he moved to safety, it was POOR TRANSLINK Fault not putting anti-​social drunks off at Lisburn to Balmoral dunmurrey connection all stops keeping them on direct one to stop at TENNANTS VITAL MUSIC GIG Balmoral station girl must reported to conductor as others blocked him got off Balmoral guy got off Great Vic St stop two grey haired security men sexually molested pulled gentle walker as normal infront of crowd shoppers into inspectors office, calmly smiley told them what happened pretended use proof of behaviour on video phone for drunken disorder they throught wrong I was drunk bas****ds waited for on called in Police to custody suite me rest of the day FINGERS UP to translink not letting go of this instead letting me go on away from it all after just talk over it with Police instead calmly as SIN I was all day took to head office mum called down PHONE TAKEN OFF ME, NOT BACK for while then Finger Printed lad with multiply complex needs & photo imaged Translink Fault girls never appeared allowed to go to Tennant’s Vital show, next time special buses should be put on for it on shoppers sat relaxing day out ruined now over Translink nonesence avoid Europa Train Station as much as possible shops in to Belfast girls be very rude not like give pound notes all coins or 50p for £20 sometimes them security men would put anyone off laying about coffee bar toilets always locked cleaning process no wonder was once always bombed Europa hotel not surprized

This place was the first ‘thing’ that I saw when I arrived in Belfast! I must say, I was disappointed, I did not like the overall look of the place but with time I got used to it!
The place is ugly. It’s not old but has that modern ‘old’ look from the 80’s and 90’s! It has some coffee shops that come in handy but also all those stalls that sell over a billion of phone covers, making it a bit cramped! And lacks free wifi!
However there is a bright side! Has plenty of seating, even at rush hour it’s possible to find a free seat and also plenty of boards around the place with updated bus information! The best thing is that the buses always leave on time (they try to), also concentrates all the departures of buses from Belfast and that’s what it matters!
So the place itself is dated, ugly and can be a bit of a shock when arriving in Belfast (eventually I got used to it) but it is quite functional and does the job right for a bus station!

I was amazed at this place as it’s the cleanest and tidiest bus station I’ve ever seen! It’s compact but with many places to sit in the warm and dry whilst waiting for buses. I found the man at the ticket office extremely helpful and there are many free useful and informative leaflets on revolving racks, and information about buses around the city and much further afield. There’s a Ritazza coffee outlet which also sells snacks and the bus station itself is right next to a shopping mall, so very handy for buying last minute items for a trip.

I have seriously spent some amount of time hanging about this place in the last ten years of my life — and I mean as a traveler not some kind of weirdo!
I used to get the two — wan — two (212) up and down from Derry regularly when I went to Queens, had a Boyfriend from Co. Down and couldn’t drive.
My main favourite thing about this bus station is that it has an expensive but really tasty hot food place attached to it — I love the chips and beans from here even though they are dear but the portions are big!
My second favourite thing is that the taxi stand is right there when you get off the bus and there are always taxis waiting — happy days!
My two least favourite things are the toilets which are always always always out of action because they are being cleaned so you need to make a mad dash to the railway station which always has a queue and then you end up holding it for a two hour bus journey — desperate!
The other least favourite thing is the queue to buy a ticket — why not do what they do in London and provide self service machines or better still, let the drivers sell the tickets on the bus — often when I have been early for the bus I have been stuck in that queue right up to the last second and had no time for treats in the wee shop or a pee before the 212 hit the road.
Anyway, rant over — its not a bad station at all.

The Europa bus station. I tend to love or hate this place depending on whether I’m saying hello or saying goodbye to someone. It terms of facilities, the place has seen better days. There are a number of shops in its mall but these are strange little boutiques, which look quite out of place in the dated building. Food wise, there are cafes which offer the sort of assembly line food you might find at Delaney’s in town. It’s not bad, but it is a little to expensive for what it is. The toilets in this place always seem to be constantly locked or out of order which is a hassle when your bus is at 6:30am and nowhere around you will be open for the next two and a half hours!

As far as bus depots go this is probably one of the better one, mainly considering the smaller ones are simply no more than a shack.
I’m a train man usually, it’s the Derry line I usually have to get to get back to the family abode and to be honest it’s faster, more direct and less hassle than the bus. However, if anyone has been to Derry city you’ll know that the bus is much easier way of getting there (the train station is on the Waterside where there isn’t much)
The station is well laid out with a coffee shop on your left as you come in, seating in the middle and along the sides leading out the various lanes where the buses pull in.
There’s a large led sign showing times and any cancellations or changes to the timetable. The ticket booth is usually manned by one or two staff. I know it’s not their fault but prices are becoming ridiculous as they seem to increase significantly higher than the rate of inflation. A bus to Ballymoney for example is around £10. For that anywhere else in the world you’d expect to get a lot further than 50 miles away.

Every city has a main train/​bus station and the positioning of such a place should be slap bang in the middle of the hustle and bustle. Though this station is a walk away from the city centre (if you call the City Hall the city centre), it is still the be all and end all of transport in Belfast. All buses will eventually congregate at the front or back of this station, and in doing so, is usually the first stop for many tourists. You have a number of little shops, a casino/​amusement arcade, a hairdressers, some eateries etc. It’s by no means a night out! But it is well stocked if you arrive too early or too late so you have something decent to do. The staff don’t always seem the most pleasant, particularly in two of the shops. But the buses are usually on time (usually…) and with a bus lane and a new flyover built, they usually get out of Belfast without too much difficult. The price of Translink is a bit steep at times, and I would love them to bring it down because a return ticket can set me back £14. Though the station itself is all you need from a bus station.

As you will see in another review, I recently (after quite an absence) became a Translink customer once again, and had to make it to this bus centre in order to catch a bus to Enniskillen. The bus centre is bright and airy, with lots of seating and is very well signposted with bus times displayed in as many places as possible, which are updated frequently. There are a few eateries, and toilet facilities, with an accessible information point, from which the staff are really helpful and down-​to-​earth. The place is clean as well, and although the shop could be a little bigger (just for ease of moving about when its busy), the entire centre is organised, accessible and a pleasant place to start your journey.

This bus station needs a good shake. The information service is terrible, They had 1 ticket/​information office open at rush hour with a very stressed out looking member of staff. The queue went on for ages, thankfully, I had my ticket already. But information on the board never appeared as to when my service was leaving or what stance it was. I was using the 924 Belfast to Glasgow service.
I ended up asking a security guard where my bus was leaving from a few minutes before it did, and he pointed me to where it was. The bus i was supposed to board had no number on the front, and turns out it was service 921 to 924, wouldve been nice to have known that. They had also overbooked the coach and once it was full another 30 or so travellers where left standing with no information. The security guard kindly once again found out what was going on. As ulsterbus staff seem to wander about aimlessly, not bothering with anyone.
A security van at one point showed up and walked over to a door with bags of coins and he stood for almost ten minutes repeatedly pressing the buzzer to get in, and eventually walked back into his secure van.
Ten minutes later a bus rushes in and a not very pleased driver claiming he had just finished his shift and was told to take us all to Belfast Harbour to meet the ferry to Stranraer. We just made the ferry.
It is a small bus station and is kept quite tidy with the usual overpriced newsagents.
Just dont expect great information regarding buses that are not travelling locally.