Bus Fares

lsc73 · Joined: 09 Apr 2009 Posts: 37

Wow, bus fares are high here! Walked from the top of Ryde to the seafront with some friends who came to visit. Didn't realise one of them had a bad back so thought we would get the bus back. £2.50 EACH from Ryde Seafront to near All Saints Church. Even the bus driver apologised. at the expense. I think that fare is way too much.

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EinsteinsGhost · Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 92 Location: Ryde

For some destinations a single fare is now £3.50!
I agree the cost of fares on the island is sky-high if, like me you don't drive. I moved here from London with my girllfreind a year ago and were shocked by it. Londoners moan constantly about their transport system but they don't realise how lucky they are as it's so heavily subsidised with grants from the government. For example, if you use the 'Oyster card' as it's called (A sort of swipe card you pre-load with money) a single bus fare journey is/was £1 and only £2 if paying cash. So much for the encouraging people to go 'green' !

Wight Portal · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 316 Location: Carisbrooke

Southern Vectis charge what they do out of necessity not to be viewed as a rip off firm. Becoming the sole provider of a bus service has backfired on them.
I quote from a similar topic:

As it stands at the moment they are trying to service the whole Island. Probably up to 80% of that service is not profitable, how many packed buses have you seen? This means that they rely on 20% to cover their overheads and give them a profit. If they were to give away the 80% to another firm or firms, they could reduce their fleet, reduce their fares, which will in turn increase their profits. The other firms will still make a living out of Vectis' non profit making services, it is the amount of profit needed by Vectis that keeps prices high.

lsc73 · Joined: 09 Apr 2009 Posts: 37

I am also from London and the fares there seem a bargain! Has definitely put me off travelling by bus again even though my daughter loved the experience.

I had a look at their website to see how much fares are but can only find Rover and Freedom fares. No single fare prices. Or am I looking in the wrong place?

Robj · Joined: 26 Feb 2009 Posts: 53

The bus fares are expensive on the island and if you are staying for a week or two it is far better to buy a Freedom Ticket. We always buy one whenever we come over. At the moment its £20 for 7 days and will allow you to use all of the open top tours as well.

laineyiow · Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 184

The cost of the bus fares is the reason why there is so many cars on the roads. Also not only do Southern Vectis charge the earth they are also cutting services to remote villages so that will just mean more cars on the roads.

I have lived here 6 years now and have used the buses three times and am always shocked at the cost. We only have a bus every two hours anyway and none of them match up with any of the ferries so all in all its a really pathetic bus company and service.

It's a real pity that the Council don't go out to tender and that a company like Stagecoach or First don't get a look in - they would give Southern Vectis a run for their money. Maybe then they would start working for the customer and giving them an actual service.

Wight Portal · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 316 Location: Carisbrooke

The last thing we want is Stage Coach or any other large firm.

A bus service is only 1 stage away from a taxi service. Ganges of Cowes already have a fleet of buses and has rattled Southern Vectis before by starting a route that SV sabotaged.

A large mainland firm would want the same as SV, to become the sole service so to make it viable to set up in the first place. But slowly they would end up no better than SV.

The solution is to let the taxi boys have a go. There's plenty of them spread all over the Island. All people want is a direct rural route to Newport the taxi's can provide that.

laineyiow · Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 184

Wight Portal · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 316 Location: Carisbrooke

Taxi's as taxi's are dear because of the licensing imposed by the Council.

The Council set rates per part of a mile and the taxi firm have to add their bit to make a living.
A bus service isn't licensed the same

The following shows the Tariffs as set in March this year:

TARIFF 1 (0800 – 2200)
£3.00 (£3.00 current fare until 31 March) for the first half a mile (each tariff is currently for the first mile) then 40p (40p current fare) every subsequent quarter of a mile. Waiting time every minute will be 40p (30p current fare) and taxis should use Tariff 2 when carrying more than 4 passengers.

TARIFF 2 (0600 – 0800 and 2200 – 0000)
£4.50 (£4.50) for the first half a mile then 60p (60p) every subsequent quarter of a mile. Waiting time every minute will be 60p (45p) and taxis should use Tariff 3 when carrying more than 4 passengers.

TARIFF 3 (Midnight – 0600 and used on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Easter Sunday)
£6.00 (£6.00) for the first half a mile or part of a mile then 80p (60p) every subsequent quarter of a mile. Waiting time every minute will be 80p (60p) and taxis should use Tariff 4 when carrying more than 4 passengers.

TARIFF 4 (New tariff – 0000 – 0600 and used on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Easter Sunday. This tariff only applies to vehicles able to seat 5 – 8 passengers and used when carrying more than 4 passengers)
£7.50 for the first half a mile or part of a mile then £1 every subsequent quarter of a mile. Waiting time every minute will be £1 and taxis should use Tariff 4 when carrying more than 4 passengers.

That is why Taxi's are so dear, as soon as you start moving in the vehicle you're paying a minimum of £3.00, which is what I believe is the Council's take, the driver gets the rest. These are the maximums that can be charged.

laineyiow · Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 184

Wight Portal · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 316 Location: Carisbrooke

I don't disagree with anything you said Lainy.

The Council is monopoly mad. whether it's public transport or supermarkets they get much more support than the poor person who's trying to scrape a living together.

I've lived here all my life and the Island is in a worse state now than it was even 20 years ago.

What SV are doing is a last ditch attempt to survive as the sole bus provider. The free bus passes which were implemented by the last Government for pensioners has hit them hard, they never had free travel before then. Add to that the majority of their users are pensionable age, because of the prices they charge, they are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Basically if they want to survive they are going to have to sale off some of their routes.

I can't see the Go-Ahead group who own SV investing any more money to prop them up.

The Council is only obliged I believe to provide transport to school for children, there doesn't have to be a bus service on the Island by law. Although there would be riots in the streets if there wasn't and the Council wouldn't win any popularity contests.

What people fail to remember, in your case you weren't here, is what's going to happen in September with the cuts is only the same as SV's service was in the 70's. The improvements over the two or so decades since are amazing. The latest bus that ran back then was 9:30 and if you lived right off a main route 6:30.

It wasn't until the late 80's that I could get back to Newport from a Sandown nightclub on a bus. Most Saturday and Sunday mornings I'd wake up covered in dew in what seemed the night before a convenient hedge to crash in on the long stagger home.

Monopolies of any kind have no right here on the Island and the sooner the Council realise this the better.

Bryn Polyn · Joined: 11 Dec 2010 Posts: 11

But doesn't it occur to anyone at SVOC that a lower fare for short journeys (say 3 or 4 stops) would mean that more people to use a bus rather than walk - although walking is better anyway if you can manage it? Certainly when I lived at Parkhurst I rarely if ever used the (actually very convenient service 1) into Newport with a £5 return fee.

Wight Portal · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 316 Location: Carisbrooke

No they enjoy struggling on.

I've finally been allowed on their forum and have repeated more or less what I've spouted on about here and my own site.

Looking at their situation as an outsider, what I have said makes sense but apparently those in the know, Mr. SV, who moderates and replies to all posts on their forum, thinks I'm talking out of my hat.

It'll be interesting to see what happens when and if the Council pull the plug on their Wightbus services to save money.

sparkie1984 · Joined: 06 Oct 2010 Posts: 60

i have to say a bus fare was £3.50 from wootton to newport. now this is not a long distance. i can cycle that easily and will be bringing my bike over at some point.

but, i must say. they were very accommodating with us and our dog, and i will also say, from us to newport theres a bus every 10/15mins which is pretty darn good. also they run late and earlier than what buses from where i am from do.

that aside, my god their expensive! its cheaper to run my manky old french 2litre hatchback there and back rather than spend £14 for 2 of us.

as portal says they are probably forced to do this to stay running. it did make me laugh when they said that their fares are working out cheaper for a large percentage of people..... id love to see proof of that

Wight Portal · Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 316 Location: Carisbrooke

Their large percentage of users are of pensionable age so no doubt that claim is correct if the pensioners free travel hasn't been abolished.

Other than that they quote the prices of their rover tickets a lot and yes it does work out cheaper, but not everyone is a regular user.

Your trip to Newport from Wooton and back is a perfect example £14 return for two of you. The day rover is £10 per adult, which is fantastic value if you're doing an Island tour and hopping on and off buses all day, but it's no good if you're only using two buses, there and back.

They seem to concentrate on the regular user, the person who use and rely on buses everyday, instead of trying to attract more regular users by not stinging them for short one off journeys.