Southern Vectis has announced a large number of service cancellations affecting its routes 1, 5 and 9 today (Friday).
The operator has alluded that the cancellations are due to a shortage of drivers, with a higher than normal number of drivers being unavailable.
A total of 44 services have been cancelled:
From Newport
- Route 1 – 10.33, 10.43, 13.43, 15.13, 16.43, 16.53, 17.13
- Route 5 – 11.10, 13.50, 16.50, 20.05, 20.45
- Route 9 – 10.50, 11.20, 11.50, 13.40, 13.50, 16.50, 17.00, 17.30, 18.20, 18.55
From Cowes
- Route 1 – 11.00, 11.10, 15.40, 17.10, 17.20, 17.40
From East Cowes
- Route 5 – , 10.35, 11.35, 14.15, 17.15, 20.22, 21.02
From Ryde
- Route 9 – 10.45, 11.35, 12.05, 12.35, 14.25, 14.35, 17.35, 18.15, 18.55, 19.25
I wouldnt mind learning to drive a bus only a small one though…are there any jobs going or is it people isolating?
If you want to drive a small bus, go for the blue ones as it is easy money.
They hardly ever have more than one person on board and they are heavily subsidised by the council.
Maybe they’re training as lorry drivers
and probably better pay as well.
Of course it’s covid. It is the right timing for after the festival infections…. the island is only just over 100 cases to being the countries highest number. What an achievement thanks Giddings & Co. The island covid outbreak sponsored by Cinch.
Very true
And, of course, the poor old drivers got it full force!!
They maybe wouldn’t have done if they were wearing masks, and limiting numbers on the festival buses, but they didn’t, people were crammed in like sardines, and not a mask in sight.
What a pathetic statement blaming Giddings, have you not notice the ten’s of thousands of tourists that have been coming over and are still coming, with the majority not wearing masks
including islanders.
yes but the sudden jump is now, some 2 weeks after the festival. “Safer than going to the supermarket” Nope
Don’t think the thousands of holiday makers did that they didn’t even have a covid test before coming they did going to the festival ,nothing but miserable people trying to stop anything good on this island
people getting tested before the festival, nope. Not many at all, as for checks. loads of people bragging how they got fake documents to get in.
Must be Brexit. Everything else is.
Mutterings overhead at Esplanade one uniformed individual to another, ‘if that doesn’t work we’ll go on strike’.. Will leave you imagine the content.
You may well find that the so-called shortage is due to ‘tactical sick’ by staff, and others declining to work extra hours to cover the ‘ill’…
Same thing. Tactical sick being the strongarm run up to the other to have demands met one way or another.
You see very few bus drivers wearing a mask.
I often wonder why they don’t. Even one who always used to doesn’t bother now. Do they think they’re immune or something? I don’t like how they won’t allow anyone to sit nr the driver now, you could a little while ago, even before the lockdown was over, then once the lockdown finished, they stopped allowing people to sit there. It is annoying to hear on the intercom, passengers can sit next to other passengers now but not near the driver. I don’t want some stranger coming to sit next to me & I don’t think any other passengers do either. Yet the passengers in the next aisle or in front or behind are closer than the space nr drivers.
700 cases since 1st oct to the 7th,15 in hospital,i think due to festival,all people not wearing masks, now just said flu will be rampant this winter.masks mabe should have been kept?
Why only just them routes?
To me, these look the worst routes to cancel. As they all go to towns that receive foot passengers from ferry routes. That most them relying on the bus services waiting for them.
Because they are the most frequent , and less likely to attract punishment from the traffic commissioner.
I live on a bus route, few drivers and even less passengers wearing masks. Observed a bus today, approx 8 people on the top deck – all sat in the first 4 rows – rest of the deck was empty! Brains of rocking horses!!
How many of the people commenting hold a psv licence or have any experience driving a large vehicle around some of the islands rural roads. How many of you could do the said job and also do it professionally refraining from any road rage dealing with the general public and have abuse thrown at you get blamed for everything that goes on, and work 70+hours a week to get half decent wage and getting paid less on standard wage than someone stacking shelves at a supermarket, I’m sure many of you would quit in a few days. Until you have sat in that seat and done the job then you have the right to comment maybe this is why the drivers are leaving
well said.ellen