Southern Vectis passengers will be able to travel anywhere on the Island for £2 or less for the first 3 months of 2023, it has been confirmed.
Bus users locally will benefit from a special scheme allowing them to travel on any single journey across the Island for £2 or less this winter, in a move designed to help Islanders with travel costs for work, education, shopping and medical treatments at a time of pressure from the rising cost of living.
It means a journey from Ryde to Newport and back again will cost just £4 instead of the usual £7.20, for example.
There are no restrictions on the payment method that can be used, but the £2 fare cap does not apply to the Needles Breezer service.
It comes as a result of Southern Vectis signing up to the Department for Transport (DfT) scheme, which will be in place from 1st January until 31st March 2023. Island Echo first reported the news back in September but it is only today (Monday) that Southern Vectis’ participation has been confirmed.
Andrew Wickham, Southern Vectis’ managing director, has said:
“We have long said that buses are the perfect solution to helping reduce congestion on our roads, and improving the air we breathe here on the Isle of Wight – so we are delighted the government is echoing this way of thinking.
“A bus has the potential to take up to 75 cars off the road, and we have ensured new vehicles added to our fleet in recent years are fitted with low emissions Euro 6 engines, to minimise their effects on the local environment.
Article continues below this advertisement “With newer buses, featuring comfortable seating and USB chargers for mobile phones and tablets, as well as ‘tap on, tap off’ payment technology on-board, we have worked hard to make bus travel an attractive option here.
“This scheme will be in place from 1 January for the rest of the winter. With fuel costs high, it is an extra incentive for local people to ease their cost of living by leaving their cars at home and opting for sustainable transport instead.
‘We’re looking forward to welcoming many new customers on-board over the coming months.”
Buses minister, Richard Holden, has added:
“Bus travel remains the most popular form of public transport in England, making up around half of all journeys. That’s why we’re investing £60 million to cap single bus fares at £2 to support every passenger and help get people back on the bus.
“With the scheme set to take two million car journeys off the road, it’s fantastic to see so many bus operators signing up to the fare cap, helping people to ‘Get Around for £2’ between 1 January and 31 March.”
There is no sign of a subsidy for cross-Solent travel, the cost of which is ever-increasing for Islanders and tourists alike.
But we will pay for it through our taxes. This government will not give us something for free
They will give you a vaccine for free
Lol
Bless you! Doing something kind and positive that helps!
Wouldn’t it have been better to put this money towards providing bus services to villages which at present have scant bus services or no bus service at all?
Everybody wants to be a cat
No.
Well done SV.
Wonder if you would say that if you lived in a village with no or little bus service?
“£2 or less”? since the minimum fare is already a lot more than £2, the “or less” bit isn’t going to happen, is it?
“Tory government throws more taxpayer money at private companies”.
Sound familiar?
but if it is like that then at least the tax payer will actually get something in return for there tax’s and maybe get a lot of cars of the roads , or would you rather they take the tax’s with nothing in return in which makes this worthwhile as to complaining about £2 a bus journey great and very worth while it is about time fact is Go-ahead who franchises Vectis has been on the make for a long time and about time the customers got something back
No, Tory government trying to help local businesses.
This is an promotion by the DfT, so therefore the tax payer will cover the cost of this. Don’t think for 1 minute that southern vectis or the government will give us something for nothing
Great news, I think SV will be surprised at the numbers taking up this offer, hopefully that will encourage them to keep it going or rethink their prices. A win win for all involved.
So what about those people who are paying £104 monthly for a pass? Do we get aq discount, or do we just not bother this 3 months and pay the £2?
Do the maths plonker ?
That sounds to be great currently shanklin to newport is £9.40 for both journeys, if coming from our taxs than better than some of sillyness they spend it on, community spirited and spent on the people, why complain when it will be helpful to many people
Anywhere on the island?Probably Havenstreet is the only village where there is no bus service.Just steam and vehicles racing through the village and I forgot red squirrels and is the wood burner capital of the Island.
Wood Burners are Carbon Neutral unlike gas
Yeah, I often think of how eco friendly they are when I can’t see for smoke driving through some places and the acrid stench attacks my throat.
A Great move, I hope people are motivated to take the bus and leave the car at home. Perhaps get into the habit of it. Full of whacky ideas, I think we should build homes on town centre carparks, for people who can’t get the bus or cycle 🙂 Seriously, we have to drastically reduce our car use, electric ones are a step in the right direction, they could be prioritised for essential users. Other places are doing quite rapid transformation of their transport systems.
All get a job u bus wank ers
U freshwater loser go and clean ur toilets
£7.20 from Ryde to Newport! One way! That’s daylight robbery! How can they justify these prices in these economically difficult times! Disgraceful
It’s not £7.20 one way, where did you get this information from ? The fare from Ryde to Newport is £3.60
About time those on concessions paid £2 a journey fed up subsidising so many people on free travel.