Bus passengers on the Isle of Wight will continue to be able to travel on single journeys for £2 until at least the end of the year.
Southern Vectis signed up to the Department for Transport (DfT) initiative – which restricts the cost of a single ticket – at the beginning of the year.
An essential part of the Government’s Help for Households scheme, the fare cap was originally set to end on 31st October 2023 but has now been extended.
Andrew Wickham, Southern Vectis managing director, said:
“I am pleased to announce that Southern Vectis will continue to offer the £2 fare cap – in line with the Government’s announcement that the initiative will be extended,”
“We expect the cap to continue until at least 31st December 2023, and this will allow us to carry on providing low-cost bus travel. It will also help to protect many routes relied upon by local people.
“Our aim is for people to change their travel habits, so they opt for the bus and other sustainable methods of travel instead of using their own vehicles to travel across the Island.
“With 1 fully-loaded double decker bus having the potential to take up to 75 cars off the road, this is an excellent opportunity to reduce congestion across the Isle of Wight.”
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Southern Vectis customers will be able to travel on any single journey, on any of the operator’s buses – except the Needles Breezer – for £2 or less. They can also use any payment method – including tap on, tap off contactless, the app, and cash.
For more information about routes and timetables, please visit islandbuses.info
Thank you and all the drivers office etc. Makes a huge difference to some of us.
While this is very good news for people who rely on buses to get around, I wish Southern Vectis would stop trotting out their rubbish about how this will reduce the number of cars on the road and their hopes that people will switch from cars to buses. Public transport will never, I repeat never, be as convenient as using a car to get about. Very few, if any, people will give up a car to take a bus. Personally, my nearest bus stop is about half a mile away from my home. Am I going to stop using the car, which is parked six feet from my door to walk half a mile, possibly in inclement weather to catch a bus that will not take me exactly where I want to go? Of course not.
Yes, selfish personal convenience will always trump doing the right thing.
That’s why the planet is doomed.
May not suit your needs mate, but a lot of people will be happy with this news. £4 return bus trip from Newport to Yarmouth as opposed to normal fare of nearly £10. Better view from a top deck of a bus as well.
Which is exactly why I started my statement by saying that this will be very good news for people who rely on buses. Try reading what I wrote. It still will not get people who have cars give them up. And Helen, if you are so blind as not to be able to see that this planet is doomed anyway, tough.
Mhm, I mean, if there wasn’t a bus then I’d have to drive or take a taxi (because safe cycling paths are even less scarce than bus routes) so… it kinda already takes at least 1 car from a road? 2 actually cause my partner doesn’t have to own a car for her few trips a week as well.
Unfortunately you have hit the nail on the head!
Thankyou southern vectis your stars x
It’s not Southern Vectis doing this, it is the government, so don’t start thanking money grabbing Southern Vectis.
Ive used it more than for decades before keep it permanent
Great! Councillor Phil Jordan can go out, get absolutely smashed on cheap wine, and catch the bus home without endangering anyone’s life. Ideal for all of us. Keep drunk drivers off the roads with cheap buses.
No sorry car wins drive to shops park car get shopping put in boot drive home …job done ……
I just order big shop with staple foods to the door. Can’t be arsed really, even with a car. And fresh bread, meat and fish from local shops are a short walk away…
…but that’s just hell of living in a 15-minute town that Cowes is, I hope Conservatives will soon close GP and all the shops and move them to some random brownfield in the middle of nowhere so we all can finally have a freedom of driving around for basic necessities 😛
Bunch off cheap skates pay your proper fare get a job and your have more money lazy
You do know we all subsidise petrol for drivers as well? It would be much more expensive if you were to pay a ‘proper’ price as you say 😉
Change your name to trolling twat dying for attention
Who wants to travel by bus in 2023, all those germs.
Safer in my van
Good, stay there 🙂
I thought that according to the government website this price cap was to be continued until December 2024?
£2 bus fare cap extended until December 2024
On 4 October the Prime Minister announced that the £2 bus fare cap will be extended to 31 December 2024.