I have nothing but a Hate Hate relationship with the Glider.

I am at the 2nd stop of I think 20+ stops before you get to Belfast City Centre. If I board at 8am, its estimated to take 45mins to get to town. Its never 45mins. It takes over 1hr when schools are in operation. Its not faster than the previous busses because there are so many stops, so many people getting on and off and thats in comparison to when you had to board a bus and scan or pay for a ticket.

There where less fights and arseholes on a bus when you had to pay on. The glider attracts a huge % of arseholes and troublemakers. Ive seen kids board in large groups (debatable theyve paid, start fights with old women, men, and other kids. Similarly, Ive seen kids try to start shit and get turfed off by men and women alike. Ive also seen other people almost get KO'd after starting shite.The first 2 years of Glider usage I probably saw more incidents of violence and anti social activity than in the previous 15yrs of using busses.

I also wonder how it can be profitable. We joke that West Belfast is DLA central, but when an Inspector jumps onto a Glider, you sometimes see 50% of the bus clear immediately (thats including those suited and booted and going to work).

It also constantly fucks up the road. Look at any Glider halt, and the road is constantly subsiding under the weight and damage the busses cause. I dont know how many times our local halts road has been repaired in the last 5yrs

The Glider is also a hotbox of germs come winter. Ive seen grown men and women sneeze, wipe their nose with their hands and then wipe it on the poles where the stop button is. Its disgusting. Even worse in the mornings when theres 150 people crammed onboard.

The Metro was not perfect, but it was the lesser of the 2 evils. Its at the point where I forgo any journey on the Glider. Id rather walk, or drive and not drink on a night out because of it