An official statistics report on public transport in Northern Ireland has been published today by the Executive Information Service.
The document, produced annually by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch, details journeys, vehicles and staffing levels for Translink during the 2025-26 financial year.
Bus passenger numbers rose by 0.5% to 68.1 million, though this remains 0.2% below the pre-pandemic level recorded in 2019-20.
Rail travel saw a more substantial rise of 19.2%, with 15.9 million passengers travelling on trains compared with 13.3 million in the prior year.
The statistics are compiled from administrative data held by Translink and adhere to the Code of Practice for Statistics regarding trustworthiness, quality and value.
Full-time equivalent staff employed by Translink fell slightly to 4,324, a decrease of 0.2% from the previous year's total of 4,331.
Of the workforce, 70.3% were assigned to bus operations while 29.7% supported rail services.
The fleet comprised 1,416 buses at the end of March 2026, including 1,078 Ulsterbuses, 304 Metro buses and 34 Gliders.
Average vehicle age stood at 10.7 years for Ulsterbuses, 7.1 years for Metro buses and 7.5 years for Gliders.
Seventeen point four per cent of the bus fleet consisted of zero emission vehicles, with 2.4% classified as diesel hybrids and the remainder running on diesel.
Sixteen-four rail carriages were in operation at that time.
Media enquiries regarding the report can be directed to the Executive Information Service during standard business hours.