Details of a proposed Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) for the Island will be considered by Isle of Wight councillors next week.
The BSIP is the first step towards an ‘Enhanced Partnership’ between the council and the local commercial bus operator, Southern Vectis.
Bus Back Better
The plan is the result of the government’s £3 billion Bus Back Better scheme (see News OnTheWight’s previous report), which aims to improve services and create greener, more flexible travel options for communities.
The BSIP includes targets to:
- reduce average bus journey times by five to ten per cent across the Isle of Wight by 2025;
- improve bus journey time reliability with 90 per cent of services operating on time (between 1 minute early and 5 minutes late) by 2025;
- increase frequency of bus links in rural areas to encourage 25 per cent more bus journeys from rural locations by 2040 and working with Southern Vectis to identify areas for improvements;
- deliver new ‘mobility hubs’ at key areas, providing a range of smart mobility, commercial and employment services. This could include shared workspaces, EV charging points, e-bike and e-scooter hire;
- work towards a carbon free bus fleet through zero emission vehicles by 2030.
Becoming carbon-neutral by 2040
The BSIP will also help achieve the targets set within the council’s recently adopted Climate Change and Environment Strategy, which sets out plans to on how the Island can be carbon-neutral by 2040.
It also supports the council’s wider aim for a sustainable transport network, which will be a key feature within the new Local Transport Plan (LTP4) currently under development.
Must enter ‘Enhanced Partnerships’
As part of the Bus Back Better scheme funding, councils must commit to enter ‘Enhanced Partnerships’ with local bus operators by the end of March 2022.
The strategy places a need on all Local Transport Authorities and Bus Operators to create a BSIP, which will set the standard for how we are going to try to improve bus services on the Island in the next few years.
Recommendations
The recommendation is that that Cabinet approves the Isle of Wight Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), in preparation of an Enhanced Partnership with local bus operators.
You can read the draft plan below.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
Image: © Patrick Eden Photography
