Wightbus
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Wrightbus
, the bus manufacturer
Wightbus was a bus operator on the Isle of Wight
, owned by the Isle of Wight Council
. It operated a network of 13 local bus services running across the island, mostly services which would not have been viable for the island's dominant commercial operator, Southern Vectis
, to operate.
Wightbus also provided school bus
es, and transported disabled adults to various day care centres on behalf of the council's social services department. A dial-a-bus
service was run over some parts of the island to residents who would be unable to leave their homes to catch a regular service bus.
The Wightbus fleet was made up of 27 vehicles with capacities ranging from 16 to 72. Around 40 trained drivers and passenger-escort staff were employed. Over 1 million passengers travelled on Wightbus services annually.
Wightbus was axed by the Isle of Wight Council in February 2011, with the last services operating on 2 September 2011. Under a new "Community Bus Partnership", Southern Vectis agreed to take on a number of routes previously operated by Wightbus to rural areas of the island in coordination with the Isle of Wight Council and the town and parish councils which the services run in. The services are all run by volunteer drivers.
's own bus fleet, to which it was known for the last 14 years of its operations. Before 1997, the fleet was in a yellow livery, with 'County Bus' along the sides. The name 'Wightbus' reduced the perceived connection between the Council and the company. Exactly how closely tied the two were was sometimes unclear.
From the new school year from September 2010, all school journeys on the island became operated by Southern Vectis
under one contract. As a result, some Wightbus drivers were made redundant, with the others able to transfer to Southern Vectis.
In December 2010, it was announced that the Isle of Wight Council planned to axe all Wightbus services from 31 August 2011 in a bid to save around £175,000 due to funding cuts caused by central government to tackle the national deficit. Despite protests by islanders and alternatives offered by other councillors, it was voted through by Conservative councillors at the full council meeting on 23 February 2011. The last Wightbus timetable ran until 2 September 2011 and was not continued from this date. All routes passed to Southern Vectis
who are operating in a community partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and local town and parish councils.
A few of these school routes were not available to the general public and operated with destinations such as 'School Bus' with no route number, however many were available for anyone to use, showing a route number and appearing in the Council's own Public Transport Handbook.
In March 2008 Southern Vectis revised its school bus timetable to include several journeys already operated by the Wightbus school network. The row was believed to be sparked when council bosses and managers at Southern Vectis could not agree on how to run the school transport service in March. As the extra services were costing the council around £400,000 a year to run and were running empty anyway they were discontinued from September 2008.
When the buses were not in use for school journeys, and in the last year of the companies operations when it no longer operated school services, some were used on the handful of normal routes the company ran in various rural and estate locations that would not be commercially viable for the main operator, Southern Vectis to run. This initially started with Wightbus taking on a much larger share of evening and weekend services from October 2004 as tendering these services to Southern Vectis would be much more expensive and would have to result in service cuts. Eventually however, all these services were timetabled separately from any of Southern Vectis' services. Some of these (notably the 16, which had a dedicated vehicle running in a modified Wightbus livery) are operated during school journey periods and so additional buses were required beyond those purely for school purposes.
In the period of Cowes Week
until 2008, Wightbus ran the "Sailbus", a free route which linked the Ward Avenue car parks with Baring Road, Castle Hill, Parade, Queen's Road, along the sea front to Gurnard
, Woodvale Road, Baring Road, Crossfield Avenue (for the heliport and the coach setting down point) and the main events of Cowes for visitors. This used three spare buses - not working due to Cowes Week being in the school Summer holidays - to maintain a five minute frequency. The sailbus was the only public vehicle permitted onto the Parade during Cowes Week. However, the lack of a sponsor for the 2009 event and the Isle of Wight Council no longer receiving income from the Northwood House car park because it doesn't operate it, caused the council to instead reach agreement with Southern Vectis to run the service with a £1 per journey fare.
who are running in a community partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and town and parish councils.
previously received discount fares through a "Student Rider" scheme. Initially, students could pay 50p for a single journey on any of the Island's buses or trains anywhere, at any time. This included through journeys where all buses are run solely by one company, either Wightbus or Southern Vectis. However this was later increased to £1 per journey, and later £1.20 after the unprecedented success of the scheme lead to the Isle of Wight Council being unable to continue the same level of support. In July 2010 after cuts in funding from central government to local authorities nationwide, it was recommended that the scheme should be axed. Protests were launched on the day of the meeting with over 100 students demonstrating outside County Hall. Despite this, the council still voted to scrap the scheme from September.
Anyone with an over 60 or disability bus pass, is able to travel on the Island's buses for free, under the Government's scheme. These subsidised fares resulted in a boom in passengers using the buses.
Wrightbus
Wrightbus is an independent coachbuilder and pioneer of the low-floor bus. Based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, it was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and currently run by his son William Wright.-History:...
, the bus manufacturer
Wightbus was a bus operator on the Isle of Wight
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...
, owned by the Isle of Wight Council
Isle of Wight Council
The Isle of Wight Council is a local council. It is a unitary authority covering the Isle of Wight, South East England. It is currently made up of 40 seats, with the Conservatives as ruling party with 24 councillors at the latest local election in June 2009....
. It operated a network of 13 local bus services running across the island, mostly services which would not have been viable for the island's dominant commercial operator, 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...
, to operate.
Wightbus also provided school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
es, and transported disabled adults to various day care centres on behalf of the council's social services department. A dial-a-bus
Demand responsive transport
Demand Responsive Transport or Demand-Responsive Transit or Demand Responsive Service or Dial-a-ride or Flexible Transport Services is "an advanced, user-oriented form of public transport characterised by flexible routing and scheduling of small/medium vehicles operating in shared-ride mode...
service was run over some parts of the island to residents who would be unable to leave their homes to catch a regular service bus.
The Wightbus fleet was made up of 27 vehicles with capacities ranging from 16 to 72. Around 40 trained drivers and passenger-escort staff were employed. Over 1 million passengers travelled on Wightbus services annually.
Wightbus was axed by the Isle of Wight Council in February 2011, with the last services operating on 2 September 2011. Under a new "Community Bus Partnership", Southern Vectis agreed to take on a number of routes previously operated by Wightbus to rural areas of the island in coordination with the Isle of Wight Council and the town and parish councils which the services run in. The services are all run by volunteer drivers.
History
The name 'Wightbus' was the trading name of the Isle of Wight CouncilIsle of Wight Council
The Isle of Wight Council is a local council. It is a unitary authority covering the Isle of Wight, South East England. It is currently made up of 40 seats, with the Conservatives as ruling party with 24 councillors at the latest local election in June 2009....
's own bus fleet, to which it was known for the last 14 years of its operations. Before 1997, the fleet was in a yellow livery, with 'County Bus' along the sides. The name 'Wightbus' reduced the perceived connection between the Council and the company. Exactly how closely tied the two were was sometimes unclear.
From the new school year from September 2010, all school journeys on the island became operated 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...
under one contract. As a result, some Wightbus drivers were made redundant, with the others able to transfer to Southern Vectis.
In December 2010, it was announced that the Isle of Wight Council planned to axe all Wightbus services from 31 August 2011 in a bid to save around £175,000 due to funding cuts caused by central government to tackle the national deficit. Despite protests by islanders and alternatives offered by other councillors, it was voted through by Conservative councillors at the full council meeting on 23 February 2011. The last Wightbus timetable ran until 2 September 2011 and was not continued from this date. All routes passed to 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...
who are operating in a community partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and local town and parish councils.
Operations
Initially, the main work Wightbus undertook was on school journeys. As many settlements on the Island are small, while most are large enough to support at least one primary school, there are few state-run high schools (and even fewer private ones). Because of the Island's 3-tier school system whilst Wightbus operated, there were also middle schools, which were located in most towns but not in any of the many villages. Because of this, there was an extensive 'network' of school bus routes, all operated under contract from the Council, to get a few primary school pupils from remote areas to the nearest larger settlement, to transport middle school pupils between nearby towns, and to move large numbers of high school students, sometimes halfway across the County.A few of these school routes were not available to the general public and operated with destinations such as 'School Bus' with no route number, however many were available for anyone to use, showing a route number and appearing in the Council's own Public Transport Handbook.
In March 2008 Southern Vectis revised its school bus timetable to include several journeys already operated by the Wightbus school network. The row was believed to be sparked when council bosses and managers at Southern Vectis could not agree on how to run the school transport service in March. As the extra services were costing the council around £400,000 a year to run and were running empty anyway they were discontinued from September 2008.
When the buses were not in use for school journeys, and in the last year of the companies operations when it no longer operated school services, some were used on the handful of normal routes the company ran in various rural and estate locations that would not be commercially viable for the main operator, Southern Vectis to run. This initially started with Wightbus taking on a much larger share of evening and weekend services from October 2004 as tendering these services to Southern Vectis would be much more expensive and would have to result in service cuts. Eventually however, all these services were timetabled separately from any of Southern Vectis' services. Some of these (notably the 16, which had a dedicated vehicle running in a modified Wightbus livery) are operated during school journey periods and so additional buses were required beyond those purely for school purposes.
In the period of Cowes Week
Cowes Week
Cowes Week is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily races, up to 1,000 boats, and 8,500 competitors ranging from Olympic and world class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world...
until 2008, Wightbus ran the "Sailbus", a free route which linked the Ward Avenue car parks with Baring Road, Castle Hill, Parade, Queen's Road, along the sea front to Gurnard
Gurnard, Isle of Wight
Gurnard is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, two miles to the west of Cowes. Gurnard sits on the edge of Gurnard Bay, enjoyed by the Gurnard Sailing Club.Gurnard's main street features a pub , a few shops and a few houses...
, Woodvale Road, Baring Road, Crossfield Avenue (for the heliport and the coach setting down point) and the main events of Cowes for visitors. This used three spare buses - not working due to Cowes Week being in the school Summer holidays - to maintain a five minute frequency. The sailbus was the only public vehicle permitted onto the Parade during Cowes Week. However, the lack of a sponsor for the 2009 event and the Isle of Wight Council no longer receiving income from the Northwood House car park because it doesn't operate it, caused the council to instead reach agreement with Southern Vectis to run the service with a £1 per journey fare.
Former routes
The public network as of 18 April 2011 until the last bus on 2 September 2011 was as follows. During the last timetable, all services operated Monday-Friday only, with no service provided on Saturdays and Sundays. Since the closure of Wightbus in September 2011, all routes have passed to Southern VectisSouthern 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...
who are running in a community partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and town and parish councils.
| No. | From | To | Via |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Sandown Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible... |
Sibden Hill | Perowne Way, Lake Lake, Isle of Wight Lake is a village and civil parish located on Sandown Bay, on the Isle of Wight, England.Lake is named after the Old English "Lacu" referring to the creek that ran along what is now Scotchells Brook, which is between the Isle of Wight Airport and the Morrisons Superstore and the Spithead Industrial... , Shanklin Shanklin Shanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on the east coast's Sandown Bay. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the... |
| 23 | 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... |
Shanklin Shanklin Shanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on the east coast's Sandown Bay. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the... |
Newchurch Newchurch, Isle of Wight Newchurch is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located between Sandown and Newport in the southeast of the island. Anthony Dillington, owner of the Knighton Gorges Manor in Newchurch wrote to his son Robert in 1574 that, "This is the very Garden of England, and we be privileged... , Winford Winford, Isle of Wight Winford is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight, that since the 1950s and in particular in the late 1970s has seen considerable housing development. The local shop in Forest Road closed some time ago, but tourist attractions with gift shops are situated nearby.... , Alverstone Alverstone Alverstone is a village 3 kilometres from the east coast of the Isle of Wight, near Sandown. When Richard Webster became Chief Justice of England in 1900, he chose the title Lord Alverstone because it was the title he was permitted to choose which was "closest" to Sandown, one of his favourite... |
| 24 | Shanklin Shanklin Shanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on the east coast's Sandown Bay. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the... |
Yaverland Yaverland Yaverland is a village on the Isle of Wight, just north of Sandown. It has about 200 houses. About 1/3 of a mile away from the village is the Yaverland Manor and Church. Holotype fossils have been discovered here of Yaverlandia and a pterosaur, Caulkicephalus... |
Lake Lake, Isle of Wight Lake is a village and civil parish located on Sandown Bay, on the Isle of Wight, England.Lake is named after the Old English "Lacu" referring to the creek that ran along what is now Scotchells Brook, which is between the Isle of Wight Airport and the Morrisons Superstore and the Spithead Industrial... , Sandown Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible... |
| 30 | Cowes Cowes Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank... |
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... |
Gurnard Gurnard, Isle of Wight Gurnard is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, two miles to the west of Cowes. Gurnard sits on the edge of Gurnard Bay, enjoyed by the Gurnard Sailing Club.Gurnard's main street features a pub , a few shops and a few houses... , Northwood Northwood, Isle of Wight Northwood is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It lies south of the town of Cowes and has been occupied for about 1000 years. The Church of St. John the Baptist in Northwood, was first built between the 11th and 13th centuries.... |
| 31 | Wroxall Wroxall, Isle of Wight Wroxall is a village and civil parish in the central south of the Isle of Wight.It is close to Appuldurcombe House. The parish church is St. John's Church, Wroxall.... |
Bonchurch Bonchurch Bonchurch is a small village to the East of Ventnor, on the southern part of theIsle of Wight, England. It is situated on The Undercliff, which itself is subject to regular landslips. A large section of the settlement is found in Upper Bonchurch, halfway up St Boniface Down on the main A3055 road... |
Ventnor Ventnor Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies underneath St Boniface Down , and is built on steep slopes and cliffs leading down to the sea... , Ventnor Botanic Garden Ventnor Botanic Garden Ventnor Botanic Garden is a botanic garden located in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. It was founded in 1970, by Sir Harold Hillier, and donated to the Isle of Wight Council. The garden is free to visit, except for parking charges.... , St Lawrence St Lawrence, Isle of Wight St Lawrence is a village on the south side of the Isle of Wight, in southern England. It is located to the west of Ventnor and many consider it a part of that town. St Lawrence is situated on the Undercliff, and is subject to regular landslips.-Features:... |
| 32 | Cowes Cowes Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank... |
Cowes | Egypt Point Egypt Point Egypt Point is the northernmost point of the island county of the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England, and was one of Queen Victoria's favourite places during her time on the island.... , Gurnard Gurnard, Isle of Wight Gurnard is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, two miles to the west of Cowes. Gurnard sits on the edge of Gurnard Bay, enjoyed by the Gurnard Sailing Club.Gurnard's main street features a pub , a few shops and a few houses... , Northwood Northwood, Isle of Wight Northwood is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It lies south of the town of Cowes and has been occupied for about 1000 years. The Church of St. John the Baptist in Northwood, was first built between the 11th and 13th centuries.... |
| 33/33A Wightbus route 33 Route 33 is a bus service operated on the Isle of Wight by Southern Vectis within in a community partnership with the Isle of Wight Council, the route runs between Newport and Ryde, via Blackwater, Havenstreet and Haylands. The route runs a limited service of 4 buses in each direction per day, with... |
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... |
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... |
Blackwater Blackwater, Isle of Wight Blackwater is a village on the Isle of Wight. It is located three kilometres south of Newport, close to the geographic centre of the island.British pop artist Robbie Williams once visited Blackwater for three nights to get away from the media... /Wootton, Havenstreet Havenstreet Havenstreet is a village on the Isle of Wight, located about 2 miles southwest of Ryde.The Isle of Wight Steam Railway Museum is in Havenstreet, along with a station. Every year, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway runs a "Santa Express" train from Wootton to Havenstreet, which is a centre of... , 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.... |
| 35 | Yarmouth Yarmouth, Isle of Wight Yarmouth is a port and civil parish in the western part of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of mainland England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river... |
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... |
Bouldnor, Ningwood Ningwood Ningwood is a village on the Isle of Wight. It is located about three miles east of Yarmouth in the northwest of the island. The Horse and Groom Pub is a prominent establishment in Ningwood, as is the Ningwood Bible Christian Chapel... , Calbourne Calbourne Calbourne is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located eight kilometres from Newport in the west of the island.The village takes its name from the stream that passes through town, the Caul Bourne... , Newtown Newtown, Isle of Wight Newtown is a small hamlet on the Isle of Wight, in England. In medieval times it was a thriving borough.Newtown is located on the large natural harbour on the Island's north-western coast, now mostly a National Nature Reserve owned and managed by the National Trust.The Caul Bourne stream running... , Marks Corner, Thorness Bay Holiday Centre Thorness Bay Thorness Bay is a 86.2 hectare Site of special scientific interest which is located on the north-west coast of the Isle of Wight, England, in the western arm of the Solent... , Porchfield Porchfield Porchfield is a village on the Isle of Wight between Cowes and Yarmouth. It is located seven kilometres southwest of Cowes in the northwest of the island.... |
| 36 | Yarmouth Yarmouth, Isle of Wight Yarmouth is a port and civil parish in the western part of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of mainland England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river... |
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... |
Bouldnor, Ningwood Ningwood Ningwood is a village on the Isle of Wight. It is located about three miles east of Yarmouth in the northwest of the island. The Horse and Groom Pub is a prominent establishment in Ningwood, as is the Ningwood Bible Christian Chapel... , Calbourne Calbourne Calbourne is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located eight kilometres from Newport in the west of the island.The village takes its name from the stream that passes through town, the Caul Bourne... , Brighstone Brighstone Brighstone is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, 6 miles southwest of Newport on the B3399 road. Brighstone was previously known as "Brixton"... , Yafford Yafford Yafford is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight . It is located nine kilometres from Newport in the southwest of the island an area known as the Back of the Wight between Brighstone and Niton. It has a non operational water mill, which was working until 1970. The mill has an overshot water wheel, powered... , Moortown Moortown, Isle of Wight Moortown is a part of Brighstone on the west side of the island. The area is known as the Back of the Wight. The only form of public transport to pass through the village is infrequent Wightbus service 36, connecting the village with Newport and Brighstone.... , Chillerton |
| 39 | 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... |
Newport | Pan Estate |
Dial-A-Bus
Wightbus also operated several 'dial-a-bus' services enabling passengers to book a service in advance and were aimed at disabled people that may not otherwise have been able to leave the house. These routes did not use numbers, they only had 'dial-a-bus' displayed on the front. The following services were in operation from 3 April 2008 until the last bus on 2 September 2011:- RydeRydeRyde 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...
- WoottonWootton BridgeWootton 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....
- East CowesEast CowesEast 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....
- NewportNewport, Isle of WightNewport 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...
(Mondays only) - FreshwaterFreshwater, Isle of WightFreshwater is a large village and civil parish at the western end of the Isle of Wight, England. Freshwater Bay is a small cove on the south coast of the Island which also gives its name to the nearby part of Freshwater....
- TotlandTotlandTotland is a village and civil parish at the western tip of the Isle of Wight. It lies on the coast at Colwell Bay, which is the closest part of the island to the British mainland...
- YarmouthYarmouth, Isle of WightYarmouth is a port and civil parish in the western part of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of mainland England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river...
- NewportNewport, Isle of WightNewport 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...
(Tuesdays only) - BembridgeBembridgeBembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
- St HelensSt Helens, Isle of WightSt. Helens is a village and civil parish located on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The village is based around village greens. This is claimed to be the largest in England but some say the Village Green is the second largest. The greens are often used for cricket matches during the summer...
- SandownSandownSandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible...
- ShanklinShanklinShanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on the east coast's Sandown Bay. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the...
- NewportNewport, Isle of WightNewport 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...
(Thursdays only) - CowesCowesCowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
- NewportNewport, Isle of WightNewport 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...
(Mondays and Fridays) - VentnorVentnorVentnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies underneath St Boniface Down , and is built on steep slopes and cliffs leading down to the sea...
- WhitwellWhitwell, Isle of WightWhitwell is located in the south of the Isle of Wight, slightly to the south of Godshill, and extends to the southern shore of the island. The nearest town is Ventnor, about 5 kilometres South of the village. Niton is the nearest village about away, which together, Whitwell and Niton form a civil...
- NitonNiton, Isle of WightNiton is a village on the Isle of Wight, near Ventnor with a thriving population of 1142, supporting two pubs, several churches,a pottery workshop/shop, a pharmacy and 3 local shops including a post office...
- NewportNewport, Isle of WightNewport 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...
(Fridays only)
Subsidised fares
Students under the age of 19, in full time education on the Isle of WightIsle 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...
previously received discount fares through a "Student Rider" scheme. Initially, students could pay 50p for a single journey on any of the Island's buses or trains anywhere, at any time. This included through journeys where all buses are run solely by one company, either Wightbus or Southern Vectis. However this was later increased to £1 per journey, and later £1.20 after the unprecedented success of the scheme lead to the Isle of Wight Council being unable to continue the same level of support. In July 2010 after cuts in funding from central government to local authorities nationwide, it was recommended that the scheme should be axed. Protests were launched on the day of the meeting with over 100 students demonstrating outside County Hall. Despite this, the council still voted to scrap the scheme from September.
Anyone with an over 60 or disability bus pass, is able to travel on the Island's buses for free, under the Government's scheme. These subsidised fares resulted in a boom in passengers using the buses.
External links
- Wightbus details on the Isle of Wight Council's website - iwight.com
- Wightbus website on Isle of Wight Council's website - iwight.co.uk