PASSENGERS have snapped up more than 14,000 promotional €1/£1 tickets for a new coach service between Dublin and Belfast in just a few hours.
Dublin Express, a subsidiary of Britain's National Express, initially offered 10,000 tickets at the reduced price at lunchtime on Tuesday ahead of the service's launch on July 18.
However, such was the popularity of the promotion, they extended the offer to 14,000 tickets, which were all sold by Tuesday evening.
"We are completely flabbergasted and delighted to say that we have sold out of all 10,000 promotional price tickets of €1/£1 this afternoon!" the company posted on its Facebook page.
"As a gesture, we let this promotion run longer but have now exceeded 14,000 sales this afternoon.
"We would like to say a massive thank you to all of our customers and look forward to welcoming you on board."
😲We were completely flabbergasted and delighted to say that we have sold out of all 10,000 promotional price tickets of €1/£1 this afternoon!
You can still get your tickets at the lower fare of €8/£8 live on our website for a limited time.
👇https://t.co/xZH5ZTmZKp pic.twitter.com/NhbKlXRVZA— Dublin Express (@dublin_express) July 4, 2023
Dublin Express is investing £8.5m in the new service, which will see eight state-of-the-art coaches providing 16 trips a day in each direction.
The new route, which will create 40 new jobs, runs from Glengall Street in Belfast and stops at both Dublin Airport and Dublin city centre.
Anyone who missed out on Tuesday's promotion can still book reduced tickets from €8/£8 for travel between July 18 and August 31.
After that, tickets will be available from €10.
Dublin Express currently operates services between Dublin Airport and Dublin city centre.
However, the company estimates that more than 1m people in Northern Ireland use Dublin Airport every year.
General manager Rory Fitzgerald hopes the service — which takes 1 hour 45 minutes between Belfast and Dublin Airport — will rival existing providers such as Translink and Aircoach.
"We are excited to bring the Dublin Express brand to Northern Ireland and particularly Belfast, offering a new high-quality experience to passengers on the M1 corridor," he said.
"The new route is a significant milestone linking the two most populated cities on the island of Ireland and adds to our extensive network across the UK."
For more information on Dublin Express' services, visit the company's website by clicking here.
