Staff Changes And Possible Job Cuts At Southern Vectis

Sounds like Southern Vectis is going through a bit of a shake-up at the moment.

SV route mapMarc Morgan Huws, who not only ran the Island’s only bus operator, Southern Vectis, but was a divisional director of the much larger Go-Ahead Group, has moved from the company on the Island.

Now at Damory
He tells VB that he is tied up on a project with one of the other three companies that he looks after within the Go South Coast Group.

We understand this to be Damory, a bus company in Blandford Forum serving the Poole region.

We went on to ask Marc when he was expecting to return to the helm at Southern Vectis, but he hasn’t yet responded.

Gavin Hunter has transferred to the Island from Metro Bus, another part of the Go Ahead group (that owns Southern Vectis), has been put in charge of operations here.

Option of voluntary redundancy
He’s told the CP that due to “increasing financial challenges”, they’re having to look at how they can save costs and have offered the option of voluntary redundancy to some staff members.

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Bus Driver
9, March 2012 7:26 pm

This all kicked off a couple of weeks ago. People have been given unexpected ‘holidays’ as well.

George M
9, March 2012 7:47 pm

Southern Vectis are indeed a monopoly, but do they offer good value for money? The fares charged by Southern Vectis are very high compared to some other companies on the mainland where there is a modicum of competition, sadly competition is sorely lacking here… If Southern Vectis lowered fares would they not get more people using the buses and hence make more profit through more demand for… Read more »

guiness
9, March 2012 9:15 pm

Sounds like Morgan Huws is bailing.Rather then face the staff on Island.Get a stranger,to
willed the axe.

Paul Miller
9, March 2012 10:16 pm

But didn’t SV expand rather rapidly in noughties? (Even protection rackets aren’t immune in a recession)

Retired hack
9, March 2012 10:29 pm

Curiously, when the County Press ran this story, they combined it with a paragraph in which SV declined to comment on a report that a senior female member of staff had been suspended.

Anyone know anything about that?

eddo
Reply to  Retired hack
10, March 2012 9:37 am

isle of wight festevial
sv
bail
arrest
tickets
management
hants and iw police
60k
just need to find the missing word

Retired hack
Reply to  eddo
10, March 2012 1:08 pm

ta

Bus Driver
Reply to  Retired hack
10, March 2012 2:57 pm

Not the first time it has happened either.

Mr T
10, March 2012 6:42 am

With the number of empty buses swanning about the island… it was only a matter of time.

Rose
Reply to  Mr T
10, March 2012 3:35 pm

The number 37 bus from Ryde to Binstead and then Haylands sometimes has no passengers on it at all.

Asite2c
Reply to  Rose
10, March 2012 3:49 pm

This route is important for many elderly people in these areas. Do you suggest they stop running the service and make them become prisoners of their homes? Just because the double decker occasionally looks empty, the mini bus sometimes looks full.

Bus Driver
Reply to  Asite2c
11, March 2012 3:57 pm

But that’s the point, the 37 hardly takes any fares Asite2c. Vectis only gets about 37% subsidy for carrying concessionary passengers so they will argue the service is making a loss (as they have done before).

Asite2c
10, March 2012 11:29 am

The disatrous Tory policy of privatising public transport has in my opinion turned the system into an absolute disgrace, especially when compared to other European countries.

All public transport in the UK should be re-nationalised and run as a cheap, public service and not as a profit making service for rich shareholders, big businesses and executives etc.

Mongo
10, March 2012 1:01 pm

They should stop plastering the sides & backs of the busses with images of prominent Island Politicians for starters. That’s enough to put me off getting on one.

Asite2c
Reply to  Mongo
10, March 2012 1:57 pm

In my opinion, since Go Ahead took over SV, the the Island’s bus transport system has deteriorated and become too expensive.

In 2012, it’s sad to think the Island has a worse public transport system compared to the 50’s and early 60’s when trains and buses were available to all parts of the Island at reasonable prices. This says something about (so called) progress.

Stephen
Reply to  Asite2c
10, March 2012 2:28 pm

More evidence that the private sector will always out-perform the public sector? The recent golden words from McNulty on rail efficiencies ie cutbacks is most revealing when the current £4billion subsidy to the private profit making transport conglomerates is compared with the £1billion previously paid to British Rail by today’s adjusted figures. BBCs Question Time on Thursday night had Eric Pickles MP claiming that re-nationalisation would increase… Read more »

Chris
Reply to  Asite2c
12, March 2012 8:17 pm

Seriously? Go-Ahead re-invigorated SV, allowed managers like Marc to carry out the investment they’d always wanted with a 100% low-floor fleet and MASSIVELY increased passenger numbers in a very short period of time. We even 24 hour bus services for a while. Unfortunately fuel prices and bus passes killed it, but SV still offers a far better rural service than you’ll find elsewhere and remains one of… Read more »

Paul Miller
Reply to  Chris
12, March 2012 9:56 pm

“Innovative”? They won’t even sell you a return ticket… until last September, I believe, they still charged 14 year olds as ‘adults’…

If by “innovative” you meant “inter-war” then I agree with you – and they always have been!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1YXDxHFZCg

Bus Driver
Reply to  Chris
13, March 2012 8:22 am

It was Go-Ahead who carried out the investment. And SV do not yet have a 100% low floor fleet… the open tops/coaches are not low floor.

david hillman
30, June 2012 1:03 pm

i wish people on the island would stop moaning about southern vectis i d give anything to have a company and a service like you have we have stagecoach and not only is the service useless we ride around in buses that should of been scraped years ago so count yourselfs lucky that you have a good service and nice vehicles to ride around on

Krystina Baker
25, July 2012 9:45 pm

Was in the industry 45yrs-always like to ‘keep up’!