A former Belfast Citybus that once carried passengers through the streets of the city has been converted into a boat and is now sailing along the River Bann.

The vessel was built by Paddy Bloomer, a Belfast-based artist, inventor, explorer and plumber. He acquired the bus from a scrapyard and constructed a hull from the mast of a scrap wind turbine, then welded on a bow and a stern before adding an engine.

The bus first operated as a Citybus in the mid-1980s and into the 21st century. It was later bought by a company in County Donegal and used for sightseeing tours of Belfast.

Bloomer initially made the bus watertight as part of the Belfast 2024 festival of creative arts. After that event ended, he moved the boat from its mooring on the River Lagan, repainted it in its original red and white Citybus livery, and set off on a journey from Coleraine, up the River Bann via Lough Neagh, to Portadown.

He said he wanted to see sights along the way, meet people, and find a place to keep the boat over the winter. The trip has attracted attention from onlookers. Children cheered and adults shared their own bus stories, he said.

Bloomer stated that the idea came from journeys he made on buses when he was younger, describing the bus as a social space where he met people. He said the concept of placing a bus on a boat seemed simple in his mind.

He plans eventually to use the bus boat as a mobile space for events and gatherings. In the short term, he is focused on adding interior details such as a shelf for teabags and a properly positioned phone charger.