Southern Vectis has announced that it is to bump up its fares from next week in response to significant increases in operating costs.
The Island’s bus operator says that the cost of running bus services across the Isle of Wight has risen, which in turn means that the company has had to review the cost of its fares – a decision not taken lightly.
From Monday (31st October), single adult fares will increase by up to 30p and child singles will increase to short hop £1.50, medium hop £2.10 and long hop £2.70. Period passes and multi-trip bundles will also increase. However, the £10 adult day rover will remain unchanged.
The biggest increase to hit the pockets of passengers is the Adult 90 Day Freedom passes via TheKey, which has gone up by £25 to £275.
The company has also announced that it is to discontinue its theKey system from next Summer. As part of this, it is scrapping the option to buy 7 Day Freedom passes via theKey from Monday, although the passes are still available via the app and on paper.
The fare increases for tickets purchased using theKey smartcard are more expensive than those purchased through the app, however, even app fares have increased by between £1 and £16.
Southern Vectis Fare Increases – 31st October 2022
| 24 Hour Rover | Adult | Young Adult | Child | Group |
| 10.00 | 8.00 | 6.00 (+50p) | 27.50 (+£1.50) |
| 24 Hour Rover
+ Breezer |
Adult | Young Adult | Child | Group | Senior |
| 14.00 (+£1.50) | 11.00 (+£1.50) | 7.50 (+£1.20) | 35.00 (+£4.00) | 8.50 (+£1.00) |
| 48 Hour Rover | Adult | Young Adult | Child | Group |
| 17.50 (+£1.00) | 13.50 (+£1.00) | 9.50 (+£1.00) | 42.00 (+£3.00) |
Multi Bundle
| Ticket Type | APP | theKey |
| Adult 5 Day Multi-bundle | £31.00 (+£2.00) | £34.00 (+£4.50) |
| Young Adult 5 Day Multi-bundle | £24.50 (+£1.50) | £27.00 (+£3.50) |
| Child 5 Day Multi-bundle | £19.50 (+£1.00) | £22.00 (+£3.00) |
| Ticket Type | APP | theKey |
| Adult 15 Day Multi-bundle | £74.00 (+£6.00) | £80.00 (+£10.00) |
| Young Adult 15 Day Multi-bundle | £60.00 (+£4.00) | £68.00 (+£10.00) |
| Child 15 Day Multi-bundle | £51.00 (+£3.00) | £57.00 (+£7.00) |
| Ticket Type | APP | theKey |
| Adult 30 Day Multi-bundle | £130.00 (+£13.00) | £140.00 (+£19.00) |
| Young Adult 30 Day Multi-bundle | £97.00 (+£13.00) | £107.00 (+£19.00) |
| Child 30 Day Multi-bundle | £78.00 (+£8.00) | £87.00 (+£14.00) |
Freedom
| Ticket Type | Paper | App | theKey |
| Adult 7 Day Freedom | £30.00 (+£2.00) | £28.00 (+£2.00) | Scrapped |
| Young Adult / Student 7 Day Freedom | £23.00 (+£2.00) | £23.00 (+£2.00) | Scrapped |
| Child 7 Day Freedom | £16.00 (+£1.50) | £15.50 (+£1.50) | Scrapped |
| Group 7 Day Freedom | £67.00 (+£4.00) | £67.00 (+£4.00) | Scrapped |
| Ticket Type | App | theKey |
| Adult 30 Day Freedom | £104.00 (+£7.50) | £110.00 (+£11.00) |
| Young Adult /Student 30 Day Freedom | £80.00 (+£6.50) | £85.00 (+£10.00) |
| Child 30 Day Freedom | £54.00 (+£5.00) | £58.00 (+£8.00) |
| Ticket Type | App | theKey |
| Adult 90 Day Freedom | £260.00 (+£16.00) | £275.00 (+£25.00) |
| Young Adult / Student 90 Day Freedom | £200.00 (+£16.00) | £210.00 (+£22.00) |
| Child 90 Day Freedom | £135.00 (+£13.00) | £145.00 (+£20.00) |
Scum Now to send my kids to school is 54 pound a month who pays to send their kids to school At that price When the council bowed you out
With all the increase in costs why should we subsidize you and your children to send them to school. Use some of your family allowance plus all the other benefits we are paying for.
What on earth? ‘Use some of your family allowance’ – at these prices that’s all of it gone, and more if your child is too old to qualify for child fares. Transport to school is paid for in most places – or schools are within walking or cycling distance. But here on the island, with incredibly high bus fares, it’s not.
I thought that was what ‘ child benefit ‘ was for.. ??
I work for a living that’s why I pay £54
Same reason why should people who pay their fare, have to subsidise for the over 60s to travel for free.
one day you will be over 60 let’s hope you have to get a bus to go shopping what a prat you are
pay for your own kids instead of leeching off others
Why is he sponging? Council sold buses. Buses put prices up. He pays kids bus fares to private company share holders.
I work for a living doesn’t mean I have to pay £54 a month to send my kids to poxy school
Don’t send them then if it bothers you that much !
Then get fined ….
We did it in our day …
No difference today …..
The buses have to pay for fuel wages etc …
They are a business not a charity…..
Everyone would moan if they weren’t there!!!!!
I work for a living you t*** And my miss
And I earn too much to get family allowance
you had kids – you pay for them – do not expect the bus company to subsidise your daily expenses for your kids.
perhaps you should take them to school yourself, you know, walk
You seem to live on this website spreading hatred. Life can be good if you just look for it.
I won’t be able to afford to pay the fares for my son when he’s old enough and his school is in Newport we live in ryde I’m dreading it when the time comes can’t exactly walk there and I don’t drive so thats not even an option
if you have a mobile phone, sky TV, Internet, smoke, drink, have nights out, then you have options to cut, to afford the bus…..it isn’t difficult.
Mobile phones are incredibly cheap and basically a necessity in modern life
read an article couple months back. if i remember correctly it was just under 4 million pounds the council gave them
Not unexpected, fuel costs, wages , utility costs etc.
Everything is going up , and alas will never come down…….
Train next then ferries , then post etc…..
pure bandwagon greed is what all this is now.
if theyve not needed too put prices up all this time when costs have been going up for ages…ie deisel /petrol says too me there’s no actuall need too do this.
boycott as much as poss folks.only way too not these companies which make a profit lets face it get away with it.
disgraceful
only thing were not bled dry on so far is the air we breath …but given time our greedy corrupt council will hatch a plan too do just that!
Perhaps they have tried to help you by absorbing these increases but they can only afford to do so for so long.
If only you knew how much the Contractors in the Council earns! Would make you weep
Thats not the way to encourage people out of their cars with an increase like that. But on the other hand use it or lose it.
am sure it would cost more to use a car.. tax, insurance, fuel.. and cost of car… add those up for over a year…!!
Absolutely disgusting, we already have one of (if not the) most expensive fares in the country. An investigation really ought to be conducted in to Southern Vectis as to how they can justify higher costs than the mainland whilst also taking money off the council
They also get grants to train new drivers, one reason why they are always looking for new driving stock ie. People. And drivers get burned out. But its steady job if you toe the line
Doesn’t surprise one they have the monopoly on the island they do what they want if any competitor comes along they make sure by all means possible to see them.off the road. They don’t even like taxis and they make sure by there influence with the council that cabs become second rate such as placing of taxi ranks although for three or four people taxis can be cheaper
Hang on a minute. Southern Vectis are owned by Go-Ahead, the biggest transport group in the UK.
Why on earth don’t Go-Ahead profit-share across their operations to cover loss making areas, rather than immediately pass on extra costs to cash strapped passengers?
Think you will find that diesel price rises have occured all over the UK not just on the Island.
why should the employees of another group company see the benefits of their hard work and effort be handed to others, rather than to them in the form of higher wages. Go ahead is a for profit group, not some socialist hippy commune. Each company stands on its own to ensure that it cannot drag down the rest if it has problems – this also means that cross subsidy to a loss making group company is a loan under hmrc rules – no gifts -either southern vectis makes a profit or cuts are made.
You might want to tell their rail sector franchises that then, as they’ve been profit sharing for decades.
Actually Southern Vectis makes more money than most Go Ahead operations, they can charge loads more here because they have no competition.
The have no competition because they bought it all, that’s how you win a competition under capitalism.
Way to go to price people off of public transport. They should nationalise it and offer it for free.
Guess you would pay the drivers the insurance the road tax and the fuel then…??? idiot
More empty buses out of peak hours, if they lowered the prices during their quiet periods this would surely offset the need to increase all prices and the buses may then have passengers on them? What distance is a “hop”?
a hop = 3 ft…. !!! lol… maybe charge like the ferries do… oh sorry mate is rush hour now, £20 fare please…
What happened to the Govt flat fare thing? There was a scheme announced that reduced fares for 6 months to help with cost of living (!)
As it doesn’t belong to the council, as was privatised, I’m not sure why people are blaming them.
Running smaller buses on many routes would save money,
Also ban Overtime pay.
Cut out some buses at various times of the day, many buses pass by with hardly and passengers on.
Southern Vectis is badly run.
Poor Management
Still cheaper than using the overpriced IW Taxi’s
Can never understand the pricing on the Island re Taxi’s you travel further in Portsmouth and Southampton for less money yet they say when questioned they are in line with mainland – I think not.
With all the climate talk, you would have thought it would be in the interest
of IW Council to make Southern Vectis reduce fares, not increase fares.
JUST LIKE THE OVERPRICED FERRY COMPANIES, SOUTHERN VECTIS ARE ONE OF THE
MOST EXPENSIVE BUS OPERATORS IN BRITAIN
You can travel around in London much cheaper
Sort it out IW Council, are you all useless and clueless!!
Yes, I think you’ll find that they are – (and corrupt)!
So I gather their not going to do that £2 flat fare thing in January till march 2023 then? Even though it’s suppose to be across the UK and aren’t the government paying for it?: Don’t the Isle of Wight count?
Probably putting the price up so they can invoice the gov more.
Considering this private, for profit, company has been been given government and council handout after handout, this just shows what utter contempt they have for their customers. No other private company has been given as much free cash as this one has.
Last year the go ahead group were fined £28.5 million. for what the Government called ” A breach of Trust. They were also ordered to pay back £ 50 million and were stripped of the South Eastern Rail franchise. Two board members resigned no doubt with a nice hand shake. I do hope Go South coast are not paying the price. I dont think Islanders would be please.
Maybe they need to start charging OAPs a £1 or so to even up there rising costs, as when I have had to use the bus I am the only one paying, and I can totally understand they have to put prices up , fuel , wages etc etc…
We all need to realise the gravy train days are over …..
We are all in the same boat!!!!
Utility bills food fares etc …
And I work so no I am not a sponge, I have paid for my family to go to school ….and I have paid my own way in life…
And will continue to do so….
I just work harder !••
The plan is to crash the economy.
Our new PM is a WEF Guy
Look up World Economic forum
they got a bloody nerve.half the time the bus doesnt even show up.
Well are these increases in fares going to improve the service?? Like not break down or cancelled at the drop of a hat.
I pay for my own bus pass every three months, I go to VI Form and work hard. I have to get the bus every day pretty much multiple times, whether it’s for work or school! I struggle to pay these fairs alongside rent and living expenses anyway! This is too much and it is worrying! I am not able to get a bursary from school but I am not rich by any means! Vectis please! We students can’t pay these prices!
It’s looking like it is cheaper to go on ferry and shop over the mainland.
Are you fucking serious right now this Island is a joke.
Unbelievable……time of crisis let’s just kick everyone in the nuts .
If fares were less, more people would use public transport so much more.
At these rates it’s cheaper to run a car……
….but oh yeah we are supposed to be getting cars off the road. (Not)
It’s absolutely laughable.
Don’t mind paying more if it’s something better… but not for what we’ve got.
Can’t even get a late bus in some rural areas of the island.
All about the money !