Perhaps one of the most unique bus services around the past number of years has been the "Causeway Coaster", a brief shuttle that operates around the world renown Giants Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The shuttle, which is funded by The National Trust & Ulsterbus, is a 3 bus shuttle,lasting 8 minutes, that operates every 10 minutes from the Causeway Visitor Centre to the tilted columns at Grand Causeway. The buses on the shuttle are numbered in the Ulsterbus system, and allocated to Coleraine Depot.

The Giants Causeway is a UNESCO listed site that is famous for it's basalt columns, located 3 miles from Bushmills and situated along the "Causeway Coastline", which straddles the coast. A public walkway runs along from the visitor centre to the cliffs, and this is shared with a road on which the shuttle operates.

The shuttle has a requirement for 3 buses, 2 are in service at any one time & 1 spare, usually roatated with driver breaks. The main veichles for the shuttles until recently were Mercedes Benz Minibuses, one of which, 1814, is seen here between duties near the turning circle.

The new order swepped onto the shuttle in early 2008 when Ulsterbus purcured a pair of Plaxton Primos, which are believed to be leases. They are allocated to Coleraine and are oddly numbered in their system, carrying the numbers 19001 & 19002. Their interior is also standard Plaxton Spec.

19001 is seen here at the turning circle next to the Visitor Centre.

Due to their size, and low floor capability, the Primo's are ideal for the shuttle, as the road skirting the cliffs is narrow, and would be unsutable for anything larger than a minibus. Primo 19002 is seen here at the Causeway end of the shuttle. As can be seen from the pics, the weather wasnt exactly ideal, it was more sunny an hour earlier!

Another element of the shuttle is the Open Top bus service, the 177, which runs from Coleraine to the Causeway via Portrush & Bushmills. The bus is 4901 (PXI 5501), a Leyland Atlantean allocated to Coleraine depot. A week after this photo was taken, the bus was noted recieving vinals for the service.

The 402, which Coleraine's 1445 is on, also has somewhat of a "tourist" operation feel to it,at least by the Translink PR at the Causeway.

Click Here for the Ulsterbus website, for information on reaching the Causeway

Click Here for the Giants Causeway Websites:    1    2    3

Click Here for the Rail Arena Feature on the nearby Causeway & Bushmills Railway.

Click Here for Information on the Plaxton Primo

Click Here for our previous feature, UNO RA277