Many thanks to Stuart George from the Isle of Wight Bus Users Group for sending through changes to the Ventnor Bus services. Ed
The summer bus timetable starts this year on Sunday 5th April.
Southern Vectis service 6 and Wightbus services 16 & 31 are largely unchanged except that there will be no Sunday service at all this summer on service 16.
Service 3 has some minor retimings in the evenings and all journeys, other than the night service on Fridays & Saturdays, will now run via Merstone.
The main change is that the Sunday service will be completely revised and will be doubled in frequency to run every 30 minutes until 6 o’clock in the evening.
The Island Coaster service to Alum Bay via the Military Road will run again this year but will be very different, with most journeys extended to or from Yarmouth. Although still provided by Southern Vectis, the vehicles used will be mainly 53-seater coaches operated by West Wight Coaches, but the free concessionary fares scheme, Student Rider, and through tickets will still be available.
Instead of two morning journeys to Alum Bay and two late afternoon return journeys, there will be just one journey from Ventnor to Alum Bay and Yarmouth at 1045, with the return journey from Alum Bay to Ventnor at 1630.
However, there will also be a journey from Yarmouth at 1105 arriving in Ventnor at 1205, which will return from Ventnor at 1655 so that anyone holidaying in the New Forest will be able to take a day trip to Ventnor and spend almost five hours here. The coaches will stop by request at any normal bus stop en route.
If anyone wishes to raise questions or comment about any bus services on the Island, the Isle of Wight Bus Users’ Group will be holding one of its regular public meetings at 1030 on Saturday 28th March at the Methodist Church Hall in Quay Street, Newport.
Admission is free and representatives from Southern Vectis and Wightbus will be there to respond.
