Southern Vectis route 4
Encyclopedia
Southern Vectis route 4 is a bus service operated on the Isle of Wight
by Southern Vectis
between Ryde
and East Cowes
via Haylands
, Binstead
, Wootton Bridge
, Whippingham
and Osborne House
. The general daytime frequency of the route is every 30 minutes in each direction. The route used to be operated by Mercedes-Benz Citaro bus 480 allocated to the route, with route 4 branding but this was later transferred to Go-Ahead North. It is the only main bus route run by Southern Vectis not to serve Newport
, the hub of the island's bus network.
Routes 4 and 5 have previously been marketed as The Victoria Line
. By the summer of 2003 the Victoria Line branding had been dropped.
Little has changed on the route the bus takes, it running East Cowes to Ryde for most of its history, indeed the present routes 4 and 5 are the only Southern Vectis routes to remain as they were in the 1960s. From the network change of April 2006, the service ran from East Cowes, via Binstead Estate and Haylands to Ryde, then on to Seaview and Nettlestone. From the timetable change on 1 October 2006, it was re-routed to no longer serve Haylands
and to travel directly to Ryde from Binstead Estate, cutting a large amount off the overall journey time. A new route 15 was created to serve the Haylands area. New route 16 also replaced the leg to Seaview.
However, with a cut in subsidy paid to Southern Vectis for free travel, it was decided that from 16 March 2008, route 15 would be amalgamated with route 29, then operated by Southern Vectis, which was then remerged into route 4 again from 20 April 2008., meaning buses served both Haylands and Binstead Estate. The route stopped serving the Red Funnel
ferry terminal from 16 March 2008.
However in November 2008 Southern Vectis announced that due to this, the journey time from Ryde to East Cowes was once again increased. This apparently damaged the end to end traffic on the route, made by full-fare paying customers, resulting in the route significantly under performing. This therefore caused a complete service cut to the Haylands and Binstead Estate area, as well as Hefford Road in East Cowes, with a replacement limited coach service run with a Moss Motors vehicle from Ryde to Binstead Estate and Haylands.
Despite the cut in journey time from not serving the Haylands and Binstead Estate areas and the cost of running the route being reduced, the Isle of Wight Council are continuing to reduce the amount paid to Southern Vectis for free travel. From the timetable change on 30 August 2009, the frequency was reduced to hourly during the day, only remaining at half-hourly during peak times. From the timetable change of 20 December 2009, the whole service was reduced to hourly.
Another result of the December 2009 network changes was that route 9 became operated by double deckers, with the seven Citaros new to Southern Vectis transferred to Bluestar
. The two Citaros that were transferred to Southern Vectis in early 2009,
bus 480 has gained route branding for service 4 this used to operate the route but now transferred to Go-Ahead's Northern Operations. The route is now operated usually by Scania Omnicities
,but sometimes changes to Scania Omnidekkas
.
During 2010 the bus stop for Route 4 situated at the Umbrella Tree on York Avenue, was moved to coincide with the new Waitrose development taking place in Well Rd. The bus stop was then latterly moved further away from the development on Well Road now situated near St.James Church in East Cowes. This now has moved back to outside Waitrose now that the building works have finished.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
by Southern Vectis
Southern Vectis
The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
between Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
and East Cowes
East Cowes
East Cowes is a town and civil parish to the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina next to its neighbour on the west bank, Cowes....
via Haylands
Haylands
Haylands is an area just to the south of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. Located to the east, it is a short walk away from housing estates at Pell and Binstead....
, Binstead
Binstead
Binstead is a village on the Isle of Wight. It is located in the northeast of the Island, two kilometres west of Ryde on the main road between Ryde and Newport.-Amenities:...
, Wootton Bridge
Wootton Bridge
Wootton Bridge is a village and civil parish with about 4000 residents on the western bank of Wootton Creek on the Isle of Wight in southern England....
, Whippingham
Whippingham
Whippingham is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located two kilometres south of East Cowes in the north of the Island.Whippingham is best known for its connections with Queen Victoria, especially its church, redesigned by Prince Albert. The church has a tower reminiscent of a...
and Osborne House
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
. The general daytime frequency of the route is every 30 minutes in each direction. The route used to be operated by Mercedes-Benz Citaro bus 480 allocated to the route, with route 4 branding but this was later transferred to Go-Ahead North. It is the only main bus route run by Southern Vectis not to serve Newport
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...
, the hub of the island's bus network.
History
Route 4 itself was run before the 2006 network change with single deck buses in the old oxford blue with striped livery, which in 2005 changed to a lime green livery with flying triangles, resembling the old Southern Vectis logo.Routes 4 and 5 have previously been marketed as The Victoria Line
Victoria Line (Isle of Wight)
Victoria Line was the name given by Southern Vectis to bus routes passing Osborne House in East Cowes. The term, which is no longer in use, referred to services 4 and 5:* Route 4 from East Cowes to Ryde* Route 5 from East Cowes to Newport...
. By the summer of 2003 the Victoria Line branding had been dropped.
Little has changed on the route the bus takes, it running East Cowes to Ryde for most of its history, indeed the present routes 4 and 5 are the only Southern Vectis routes to remain as they were in the 1960s. From the network change of April 2006, the service ran from East Cowes, via Binstead Estate and Haylands to Ryde, then on to Seaview and Nettlestone. From the timetable change on 1 October 2006, it was re-routed to no longer serve Haylands
Haylands
Haylands is an area just to the south of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. Located to the east, it is a short walk away from housing estates at Pell and Binstead....
and to travel directly to Ryde from Binstead Estate, cutting a large amount off the overall journey time. A new route 15 was created to serve the Haylands area. New route 16 also replaced the leg to Seaview.
However, with a cut in subsidy paid to Southern Vectis for free travel, it was decided that from 16 March 2008, route 15 would be amalgamated with route 29, then operated by Southern Vectis, which was then remerged into route 4 again from 20 April 2008., meaning buses served both Haylands and Binstead Estate. The route stopped serving the Red Funnel
Red Funnel
The Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, which trades as Red Funnel, is a ferry company that carries passengers and vehicles on routes between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight...
ferry terminal from 16 March 2008.
However in November 2008 Southern Vectis announced that due to this, the journey time from Ryde to East Cowes was once again increased. This apparently damaged the end to end traffic on the route, made by full-fare paying customers, resulting in the route significantly under performing. This therefore caused a complete service cut to the Haylands and Binstead Estate area, as well as Hefford Road in East Cowes, with a replacement limited coach service run with a Moss Motors vehicle from Ryde to Binstead Estate and Haylands.
Despite the cut in journey time from not serving the Haylands and Binstead Estate areas and the cost of running the route being reduced, the Isle of Wight Council are continuing to reduce the amount paid to Southern Vectis for free travel. From the timetable change on 30 August 2009, the frequency was reduced to hourly during the day, only remaining at half-hourly during peak times. From the timetable change of 20 December 2009, the whole service was reduced to hourly.
Another result of the December 2009 network changes was that route 9 became operated by double deckers, with the seven Citaros new to Southern Vectis transferred to Bluestar
Bluestar (bus company)
Bluestar is a trading name of Solent Blue Line Ltd. Based in Eastleigh, the company operates bus routes in Hampshire that previously traded under the Solent Blue Line name. Blue Line was started by bus company Southern Vectis as it sought to expand from the Isle of Wight in 1987...
. The two Citaros that were transferred to Southern Vectis in early 2009,
bus 480 has gained route branding for service 4 this used to operate the route but now transferred to Go-Ahead's Northern Operations. The route is now operated usually by Scania Omnicities
Scania OmniCity
The Scania OmniCity is an integrally-constructed transverse-engined low floor citybus available on the European market. The OmniCity is a complete product built in Poland by Scania AB, a company based in Sweden....
,but sometimes changes to Scania Omnidekkas
Scania OmniDekka
The Scania OmniDekka is a double-decker bus built for sale in the UK...
.
During 2010 the bus stop for Route 4 situated at the Umbrella Tree on York Avenue, was moved to coincide with the new Waitrose development taking place in Well Rd. The bus stop was then latterly moved further away from the development on Well Road now situated near St.James Church in East Cowes. This now has moved back to outside Waitrose now that the building works have finished.
Services
An hourly service is operated in each direction during the daytime. There is no late evening service with the last bus from East Cowes at 1909. A Sunday service is run with an hourly daytime frequency.| Bus leaves Departure point ↓ | First buses | Last buses | Journey Times (daytime)to: | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to East Cowes | to Ryde | to East Cowes | to Ryde | Ryde | Binstead | Wootton Bridge | Whippingham | Osborne House | East Cowes | ||
| Ryde | 06:50 | 19:50 | 0h08 | 0h12 | 0h17 | 0h19 | 0h24 | ||||
| Binstead | 06:58 | 07:31 | 19:58 | 20:31 | 0h14 | 0h04 | 0h09 | 0h11 | 0h16 | ||
| Wootton Bridge | 07:02 | 07:26 | 20:02 | 20:26 | 0h19 | 0h05 | 0h05 | 0h07 | 0h12 | ||
| Whippingham | 07:07 | 07:21 | 20:07 | 20:26 | 0h24 | 0h10 | 0h05 | 0h02 | 0h07 | ||
| Osborne House | 07:09 | 07:19 | 20:09 | 20:19 | 0h26 | 0h12 | 0h07 | 0h02 | 0h05 | ||
| East Cowes | 07:14 | 20:14 | 0h31 | 0h17 | 0h12 | 0h07 | 0h05 | ||||
External links
- Southern Vectis website - islandbuses.info
- Southern Vectis route list
- Southern Vectis route 4
- Full timetable