Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Cllr Dave Stewart, is to meet the head of Southern Vectis’ parent company to discuss a decision to reduce the Summer Route 6 bus route on the Island.
The high-level talks next month will also examine the wider contractual arrangements the Council has with Southern Vectis after a local meeting last week failed to persuade the company to fully reinstate the service.
Southern Vectis has agreed to put in an extra Sunday evening bus over the summer months, an additional service in the day and given a commitment to give consideration of extra provision for students. But the concessions fall short of the previous hourly summer Sunday service through Niton, Whitwell, Chale, Chillerton and Gatcombe because Southern Vectis says the route is not ‘commercially viable’.
Cllr Stewart has said:
“Everyone at the meeting told Southern Vectis it had not taken into account the community impact of removing this service and the company has not consulted with the parish councils or the IW Council before making this decision.
“I welcome the concessions, which shows Southern Vectis is now prepared to listen, but it falls way short of the service that was in place and local people are rightly concerned, especially as parish councils subsidise the route in the winter months.
“The Isle of Wight Council has a contract with Southern Vectis which runs into millions of pounds, but it seems there is little flexibility from it when it comes to matters of maintaining a service, such as the number 6 route, if it is not commercially viable.
“I will be making this point very clearly to Andrew Wickham, the Managing Director of the Southern Vectis’s parent company Go South Coast, on the 30th March meeting when I will raise the issue of rural services and wider contractual matters on the island with him.
Article continues below this advertisement “In the meantime, I again urge Southern Vectis to think again about axing this route.”
The company met last week with parish councils along the route, along with Isle of Wight councillor Ian Ward who is the lead for transport and infrastructure, to discuss the axing.
Cllr Stewart has thanked Cllr Ward and the Parish Councils for the attending the meeting and added the fight to save the summer service would continue.
