The Isle of Wight Council has teamed up with Southern Vectis to encourage younger people to use bus travel across the Island.
The council’s Connect2Work Programme has launched a brand-new bus offer in partnership with Southern Vectis, aimed at potential new bus users aged between 16-19 years old. A limited number of complimentary Multi-Day tickets are available, allowing 15 days of unlimited bus travel on the Island.
Aimed at non-bus users, an objective of the scheme is to understand how younger Islanders perceive bus travel, and to encourage a new generation of regular bus users.
To take part in the scheme, eligible applicants are required to complete a short online survey designed to capture perceptions on bus travel, and then download the new improved Southern Vectis Mobile app, which has a variety of innovative features including real journey time tracking and a journey planner.
Cabinet Member for Environment, Heritage and Waste Management, Councillor Jonathan Bacon, said:
“We know that resident travel patterns will have changed as a result of the pandemic. This initiative will help us find out how behaviour has altered and at the same time provide a great opportunity to introduce a new younger audience to bus travel.”
To find out more information on the bus travel offer and to fill in the short survey, visit www.connect2work.info/busoffer.
The aim of the Connect2Work Programme is to change commuters’ behaviour and travel habits to increase the long-term use of active and sustainable travel modes to reduce congestion, pollution and promote health and well-being.
The Connect2Work Programme is delivered by the Isle of Wight Council and funded by the Department for Transport.
how about, for once in an damned while, you actually provide a discount to the full fare paying adult, that uses the bus for work – instead of ignoring us all the time and handing out discounts and freebies, to everyone else but the able bodied, hard working, taxpaying bus user.
as per usual – it is the ignored group that are expected to pay higher fares, to subsidise the rest of the freeloaders.
Good idea, let’s see some action for those who live and work on the island.
You mad bro? If it is really a problem for you why not write to Southern Vectis and actually try and get a discount instead of complaining on a website and waiting around for free handouts.
dave – what you think i haven’t already provided feedback to the bus company?
all i see is endless discounts to certain groups, who are already provided with countless handouts and benefits that are equivalent to or more than the national average wage – those who are working on the island are paying full fare on the bus, yet aren’t even getting the national average wage.
to many hand wringing do gooders, ignoring the hard working taxpayers as usual
I always thought isle of wighter was a girl!?
Good point, this offer should be denied to the freeloaders, they everything for free already and no questions ever asked.
Well I’ve got an islander card (free pass) because they took my licence away (for my own safety they said), I hardly ever use it, your more than welcome to borrow it, I only use it once a month to get to 7 acres,and maybe a couple of times to meet my friends at Ryde pier for a drink and a catch up…… X
That’s a very kind gesture, thank you. I doubt if I will be renewing my license once it expires next year. Getting too dangerous on the roads now, what with all the junkies and drunks off their face driving like no other poor sod exists. There are some good comments on here
It’s nice you commenters have a bus service. We don’t.
Well it is partly your own fault for living deep out in the woods, can’t you get one of them blue buses with one person on board (including driver)?
What we need is free bus travel for all right across the country. Then so many could save so much not having to run a car. Good for the environment good for the people. But instead governments give our tax money to big business.
a good start but be careful not to waste money
a good start but careful not to waste money
I’d rather they spend money on promoting safe dedicated road cycling routes. It’s the best way to promote health and wellbeing yet they seem to do so little over there.
If the council can afford to dole out free bus tickets to the young, they can afford to keep the little bus that serves St Lawrence and Bonchurch twice a week running.
NDL – for vibes – young life’s matter
The biggest trouble is, the low life keep being sent here by the mainland councils, the IW council keep on allowing it, the low life will cause trouble on the free buses with ordinary people because they will be riding about on it for free all day long snorted and swilled up for something to do, the bus company will get fed up with people complaining about the low life causing damage and trouble on the bus,and eventually the bus company will withdraw the free bus because of the low life and back we are again to square one.