Southern Vectis Open Visitor Information Points

Following the news that the Isle of Wight council will be closing all Tourist Information Centres from the end of March, the Island’s bus company Southern Vectis will be partially filling the gap by offering an alternative service.

Southern Vectis LogoNext Monday (4th April) will see the first three of the Island’s new Visitor Information Points open in Ryde, Newport and Yarmouth.

Bus users may have noticed work taking place in all three bus stations to prepare the offices for their new roles.

Internet access in all three offices
All of the new offices boast Internet access to help visitors looking for information and accommodation.

Tanya Simms, Commercial Manager for Southern Vectis said, “It’s been a bit of a race against time to get the offices refreshed and open in time for April when they take over the role of providing Visitor Information. We still have work to do to complete the three offices so that we can provide the range of information we want, but we are able to open all of them from this date while continue to build them up.”

Work for other areas underway
The ‘mobile’ Visitor Information Points planned for Shanklin bus station and Sandown High Street are both undergoing work and will be in place soon.

The location for the Cowes unit has not yet been confirmed, but Southern Vectis say a member of staff will be deployed in the Pontoon from the outset too.

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DH
28, March 2011 11:38 am

Well done Southern Vectis. Now just make sure you employ friendly happy people to front them. I’ve been using your buses lately and your drivers are a miserable bunch!

A positive solution to a problem introduced by the council.

Bluey
Reply to  DH
28, March 2011 2:23 pm

No, it’s a poor substitute solution to a problem “created” by the council

No.5
Reply to  Bluey
28, March 2011 3:34 pm

a commercial enterprise which in the past failed, re-invigarated by SV because the council has removed their trading opposition from every town on the Island.

Same as the replacement Dotto Train…council dump it so that SV can replace it with its own money making venture.

Monty Karlo
Reply to  Bluey
28, March 2011 5:21 pm

Spot on. And by the way there ARE 8 friendly, happy people out there who will be closing their doors for the last time this week and looking for other jobs. It would have been nice if SV could have used all that tourist information expertise to help in its new venture….they’ve welcomed the redundant Wightbus drivers into the SV fold so why not the TIC staff?… Read more »

someone else
Reply to  DH
28, March 2011 4:38 pm

Employ friendly happy people???? will they be employing anyone for this? my impression of this was it was just a few leaflet points??

Bus Driver
Reply to  DH
29, March 2011 3:55 pm

Maybe because of they way we get treated sometimes. Oh, and the zero staff facilities at Ryde. A few years ago there were good facilities for drivers at Ryde… not anymore! Go-Ahead? More like Go-Backwards!

Henry
Reply to  Bus Driver
30, March 2011 6:49 pm

Why do you need lots of facilities at Ryde. You don’t have any breaks there now bus driver. It’s just the same a pulling in at Shanklin, Sandown, Yarmouth, Cowes etc. You pull up then go again what, 10 minutes later. Poor excuse if you’re admitting to being miserable to your customers. Perhaps you should go get a job driving a van? From my experience you’re in… Read more »

Bob Smith
Reply to  Henry
30, March 2011 7:29 pm

For a start, the fact the majority of drivers are good – yet a great deal of people, including some comments on here, always say they’re all miserable – is hardly morale boosting.

Bus Driver
Reply to  Henry
30, March 2011 9:23 pm

Did I say I was miserable Henry? I was merely answering the previous commentators who clearly do not see the same picture as you do. As for ‘secure’, that depends on how long you have worked there. As for ‘reasonably paid’, if the pay was in line of the mainland Go-Ahead drivers, then I would agree with you.

Paul Miller
28, March 2011 4:12 pm

A Southern Vectis puff piece; my chance to link to their catchy ‘anthem’, “The Southern Vectis Bus SongW, courtesy of YouTube. Note that is was slightly ironic.

Tony Green
28, March 2011 5:34 pm

Would have been nice of them to offer to have an Inspector at Ryde Bus station when all the trouble kicks off on a Friday and Saturday night. The bus station in a massive flash point, with police resources stretched. Whilst the majority of people are well behaved, when fights and verbal threats start, too many people get caught in the crossfire. A very intimidating place in… Read more »

XCX
28, March 2011 6:45 pm

Well done SV for doing something at least. Unbelieveable really though that the IW Chamber tourism department didnt step in!!!

No.5
Reply to  XCX
28, March 2011 9:08 pm

why, when SV stand to make a buck….council close ’em down…friends of the council profit

erm
Reply to  No.5
28, March 2011 9:55 pm

SV may make money out of it, but who can blame them for wanting to increase the pottential of their business? The council have left a black hole through their reckless budget and Southern Vectis are willing to fill it with an alternative (albeit slightly reduced) service. It’s certainly better than nothing. Additionally, if Southern Vectis can encourage tourists to make their way to an attraction on… Read more »

No.5
Reply to  erm
28, March 2011 10:15 pm

depends if collusion and un-neccesary dumping of our assets is involved….like the dotto trains

someone else
Reply to  No.5
28, March 2011 10:56 pm

well SV certainly knew that the TIC’s were going before we did!!! some might say it could be the reason why the TIC ended up closing in the first place.

Sailor Sam
Reply to  erm
29, March 2011 10:44 am

‘if Southern Vectis can encourage tourists to make their way to an attraction on public transport, then it could help to take cars off the road helping to reduce traffic and emmissions, which can only be a good thing’. How? Are they going to reduce the fares then? 4 people travelling in a car can get to most places on the Island cheaper than travelling by bus.… Read more »

erm
Reply to  Sailor Sam
30, March 2011 12:01 am

I’m not sure what your point is. If more people are travelling by bus to a destination, there will clearly be fewer cars on the road. The bus service would already be running anyway and fewer cars would result in less congestion and less emmissions being produced. Southern Vectis have regularly offered discount tickets to families visiting tourist destinations in the past and after taking on the… Read more »

Sailor Sam
Reply to  Sailor Sam
30, March 2011 12:21 am

Clearly getting more people onto public transport would reduce congestion ect. But here on the Isle of Wight, we have fares which are far higher than other areas, including London. I don’t understand how you can say that travelling by car is cheaper. In some cases it may be (especially if you qualify fo a conessionary pass) but as I pointed out in my example, when you… Read more »

Sailor Sam
Reply to  Sailor Sam
30, March 2011 12:27 am

Noted that I said ‘I don’t understand how you can say that travelling by car is cheaper’. Obviously what I meant was; I don’t understand how you can say that travelling by bus is cheaper than by car’. past my bed time you see!

No.5
Reply to  Sailor Sam
30, March 2011 8:12 am

tourists arrive by car and will travel on the Island by car

Bob Smith
Reply to  Sailor Sam
30, March 2011 7:40 pm

It doesn’t take me to point out that saying “4 people travelling in a car can get to most places on the Island cheaper than travelling by bus. EXAMPLE: Ryde to Arreton = £4.50 adult £2.25 child one way!!” is misleading. Total cost for 2 adults 2 children is £27. Except you’d buy the family rover ticket, which is seven pounds less. Also, “But here on the… Read more »

Sailor Sam
Reply to  Sailor Sam
30, March 2011 9:13 pm

So as a family with a car, your’e going to pay £20 (for a rover ticket)to get from Ryde to Arreton by bus are you? How much do you think it would cost in petrol in comparison? And just how do you justify a fare of £4.50 in the first place?

Bob Smith
Reply to  Sailor Sam
30, March 2011 10:31 pm

I don’t think what tourists do as simple as A to B, then back to A, then to C the next day.

Making a day of it would be a start. £4.50 is extortionate, no one can deny that, but island fares have always been high.

Sailor Sam
Reply to  Sailor Sam
30, March 2011 11:04 pm

Certainly is extortiante Bob. I don’t remember it being no where near that much on the old 33 route! I mean, when you consider the fare from Ryde to Newport is a £1 cheaper, surely it is a similar distance to Arreton if not further?

Wight Ryder
Reply to  Sailor Sam
31, March 2011 12:09 am

Of course Ryde to Newport would be cheaper, you have to go via Newport to get to Arreton! Either that or go via Sandown or do you expect the bus company to put on a special service over the downs just for your family?

Sailor Sam
Reply to  Sailor Sam
31, March 2011 12:22 am

So it’s the passenger’s fault that SV decided to route the buses that way? At the end of the day, most passengers just want to get from A to B and the fact that it means changing buses to do so should no affect the fare. Isn’t that why we have ‘through fares?’ Remember the 33 service?

Asite2c
29, March 2011 4:10 pm

The whole the UK bus network should be nationalised and run as a public service for the country and not just for profit. If the Government really belive in ECO policies and want people to stop using their cars, then the only way this can be achieved is through investing in a good, cheap fare public transport system.

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