Seven-year-old Tom, from Oakgrove Primary School, was one of eight children who participated in Translink's Brand a Bus Design competition. This initiative aimed to allow young people to creatively envision a cleaner and greener region.

Eight young artists from across Northern Ireland were selected to have their creative designs combined and used to redesign a bus. The newly designed bus was then unveiled at Belfast Grand Central Station. The reveal marked the first time the young artists had seen their winning designs brought to life on such a scale, creating a new addition to the Translink fleet.

Each young artist received a bumper art pack prize to help fuel their creative journey and were given an illustration workshop led by local artist and competition judge Rory Quigg.

Speaking at the bus reveal, Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive, said: “The response to our first ever ‘Brand A Bus’ competition has been fantastic and for over 1,000 young people from all corners of Northern Ireland to have taken part is quite an achievement. This campaign really showcases how younger generations see the world around us: hopeful and unafraid to dream big. I think when people see this bus on local routes, it will be a true eye-opener as we continue the fight against climate change. I’d like to congratulate the competition winners and thank everyone who took part.”

placeholder image — Tom, aged 7, from Derry, was one of eight young artists selected from over 1,000 entries across Northern Ireland for Translink’s Climate Action ‘Brand A Bus’ competition. Their winning design, themed around visions for a cleaner, greener future, now features on a newly-wrapped double-decker bus unveiled at Belfast Grand Central Station.

Local artist and competition judge Rory Quigg added: “The standard of entries was incredible; the imagination and talent shown by these young people was inspiring. To see their work celebrated on something as visible and everyday as a double decker bus is fantastic. It means thousands of people across Northern Ireland will get to enjoy their creativity and hopefully it will encourage the artists to keep going with their ideas and inspire more people to take climate action.”

A spokesperson for Translink said the Brand a Bus Competition encouraged children to imagine a sustainable future for Northern Ireland, with an emphasis on encouraging greater public transport use. Entries were received from six regions across Northern Ireland, and the campaign also aims to support ambitions outlined in Translink’s Climate Positive Strategy.