Southern Vectis is updating the layout of its bus stations and buses to ensure passengers and drivers can continue to practice social distancing and travel safely – as demand for services increases.
The local operator has been welcoming customers for essential travel throughout the coronavirus crisis and is expecting higher demand as it increases services this week.
Nikki Honer, Head of Communications for Southern Vectis, says:
“People with key roles have been continuing to rely on our bus services since March, and others are now also returning to work. We will be here for them.
“We are doing everything possible to make travel safe – both for our passengers and our colleagues. Our cleaning regimes are stringent, and our buses are regularly sanitised with anti-viral wipes, with extra focus on all touch points.
“Customers will see a change at Ryde and Newport bus stations (Newport from 8 June), where our team has introduced a system which allows people to practice social distancing.
“The layout of our buses has changed too, and we ask that people follow the on-bus signage – using window seats and alternate rows only. These are all clearly marked with vinyls on windows, and signs on seats that should not be used.
“If you are making an essential trip with another member of your household, however, you may sit next to them. We have also installed screens to protect drivers and passengers and we remind passengers not to touch these.
Article continues below this advertisement “All of this will reduce the capacity of our vehicles, but we plan to respond by running extra buses. We ask people to bear with us as we begin to increase our services over the coming week.”
There are also measures passengers can take, to help keep everyone safe. Evidence suggests that face coverings may protect others if you are infected with COVID-19, but have not yet developed symptoms – and the Government has advised people to wear them in enclosed spaces.
Nikki adds:
“Although our drivers will not turn you away if you don’t have one, we all have a personal responsibility to follow the guidance and wear some form of face covering on-board buses if we can. They can be handmade if need be.
“We are also asking people to avoid paying with cash if they can. We have other payment methods available – including contactless, our app and smartcard, theKey. If you must use cash, we ask you to try and have the correct change.”
how are you managing the costs – more buses, less seats, less revenue, higher costs?
you won’t keep that up very long and neither will the rest of the transport infrastructure – it all needs to stop now.
Push the responsibility back to the customer – wear gloves, a mask, wash your hands and accept the fact that you no longer get to have the gap between customers, if you are really that worried about it – don’t travel
unless the incompetent, needy, cant think for themselves public take responsibility for their own safety instead of expecting everyone else to do it, then there won’t be any bus services, ferry services or train services as soon as the government support ends.
get used to walking.
i am guessing that most who read this site, have no business sense at all.
no more free bus passes, no more discounted tickets, fares will go up, disabled discounts gone – to pay for the extra running costs and to ensure there is enough money to pay the business bills – such as staff wages and fuel.
if you do not want the above – then get back to normal – all seats being used.
Can I travel with my daughter to a super market seeing as I can’t get a slot online or have family to deliver for me at the moment ?
It will not make any difference to us, our local bus route was disbanded some time ago !
Asda have slots available for Saturday if that helps and you can manage locally until then
Flu and the virus is transmitted mainly due to the carrier’s mouth..Idle gossip should be curved on busses as the gossipers may be 2 metres apart but the idle gossip will generate air current traveling over 10 metres putting others at risk of the idle gossipers are carrier’s. It’s always the loud mouths that are disrespectful ,
God how ignorant are you ,
Sounds like your one of the loudmouths , well on here at least ,
Wearing a mask and gelling hands is common sense .
So talking won’t be a prob will it .
Think about it .
What about the key workers who have to use them??
suzie – you join the queue with everyone else – the definition of an essential journey is decided by the customer – southern vectis do not have any legal right to prevent someone using their services, for whatever reason, unless that individual is being rude, offensive, threatening or refusing to pay for a ticket.
how is southern vectis going to manage the impact of this reduction in seating and subsequent reduction in ticket sales, which leads to less money to pay the drivers and to buy fuel, yet they are putting on more buses. – That is not a sustainable business model
Tickets prices will increase and all the free/discounted travel that people have had will disappear or drivers will be made redundant as there won’t be the money to pay them, which means less services.
Either southern vectis drop the social distancing sooner, rather than later or they will go out of business – due to a lack of revenue.
Most pensioners I know have a free bus pass and a car … do take away the freebies and make them drive !