AN 8 year school transport deal between the Isle of Wight Council and Southern Vectis will see 43 brand new buses introduced to the Island along with enhanced safety features, it has been revealed.
Island bus operator Southern Vectis has been awarded the contract to supply home to school transport for youngsters across the Isle, which has secured around 70 jobs within the company.
Over £6 million will be invested into school transport, with twenty 70-seat double deckers and twenty-three single deckers being purchased to run on the much-used school routes.
In addition to transporting Island children to and from home, local community groups running volunteer buses will have use of the new buses when not being used for school operations.
Isle of Wight Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Education, Cllr Dawn Cousins, said this week: “We were very pleased to be able to appoint a local company to deliver the school lift whose bid offered the best value when we tendered the contract nationally. In so doing we have ensured that we are able to provide our young school bus users – and those who use the successful community bus scheme – with brand new high specification vehicles”.
