Southern Vectis is injecting a further investment into the bus services it provides for the Isle of Wight with the purchase of 10 new double decker buses.
The brand new British-built Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 double decker buses will provide greater comfort, reliability and more seats for passengers.
A total of £1.8million has been invested in the 10 buses, which will predominantly operate on Route 9 between Newport and Ryde.
Matt Kitchin, general manager of Southern Vectis said:
“We talk regularly to those who use our services here on the island and our customers have been very clear about the enhancements they would like to see.
“We have made significant improvements in recent years with new great value ticket bundles for travellers, introducing wifi and usb chargers on board and significant investment of over £5 million in replacing over half our fleet with new vehicles.
The new buses feature full destination displays – front and rear – with white LEDs, giving greater clarity, particularly after dark, new lighter coloured flooring to assist partially sighted customers and those suffering dementia, plus a new style of seating for passengers.
Matt added:
“All of our new vehicles purchased over the past three years are to Euro 5 vehicle emissions standards, meaning our carbon footprint has reduced. By replacing earlier models in our fleet, we now have one of the greenest fleets in the country – quite literally.”
The announcement underlines Southern Vectis’ commitment to running the latest in new bus technology across the region.
Matt concluded:
“We make it our business to listen to the views of those using our buses – and always make efforts to enhance our services wherever we can.
“I am keen to receive feedback on any aspect of Southern Vectis – especially the new buses – at our special event this week. The talk2us session will also provide people with the opportunity to find out more about other services, including our child and young adult smart card, the key”.
