Local people and visitors to the Isle of Wight are being encouraged to find out how easy and convenient it is to travel by bus.
To mark Catch the Bus Month – a nationwide campaign running throughout September – Southern Vectis is helping to raise awareness of the benefits of travelling in this way, particularly among those who don’t normally use public transport.
Southern Vectis head of communications, Nikki Honer, said:
“According to official figures, the number of local bus passenger journeys in England saw an increase of almost 20 percent in the year ending March 2023, and studies show that it is a third less stressful than travelling by car. Taking the bus can also help achieve half the government’s recommended 150 minutes’ moderate exercise per week, so there are plenty of reasons to want to increase usage still further,
“We are certainly working hard to encourage more people on-board. Over recent years, we have invested millions of pounds in new buses to serve our comprehensive network of routes across the island. The seating on these state-of-the-art vehicles is more comfortable than ever, and each sports the latest Euro 6 low emissions engine.
“Planning travel and buying tickets is now easier than ever too – thanks to the Southern Vectis app, offering customers the chance to tailor their plans, track their intended bus in real time and pay for tickets instantly.
“During catch the Bus Month, we are offering new app customers 10 percent off a monthly pass. All they need to do is enter 10CTBM24 when they buy their ticket.
“The cost of travelling across the island offers excellent value-for-money for all our customers (new and existing) with the £2 fare cap for a single journey still in place – part of the Government’s Help for Households initiative.
Article continues below this advertisement “And we are committed to ensuring our buses are accessible for all. One example of this is our excellent relationship with Dementia Friendly Isle of Wight. We first began working with them in September 2013, and have made a tremendous amount of progress since then.
“We helped launch Ryde and Newport as Dementia Friendly towns – including the introduction of Safe Journey cards, allowing people with memory loss to identify themselves to drivers at the start of their journey.
“Our travel shops are a Dementia Safe haven too – somewhere for people who are lost or confused to go so they can be reunited with family or friends, or even their GP.
“Our aim is to reassure people that, although they may have difficulties that sometimes limit what they can do, this shouldn’t stop them travelling around the island, being able to meet with friends and enjoying a full life.
“We want as many people to travel with us as possible, and Catch the Bus Month gives us an excellent opportunity to encourage more people to try sustainable transport. With just one fully-loaded double decker having the potential to take up to 75 cars off our roads, we hope we can help ease congestion on the Isle of Wight during September and beyond.”
For more information about travelling by bus on the Isle of Wight, visit islandbuses.info and for further details about the national campaign, visit bususers.org
