Latest news with #BusVannin
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
More data needed on Manx bus routes' profitability, says minister
"More detailed analysis" is needed to understand which bus routes make money on the Isle of Man, the infrastructure minister has Tuesday's House of Keys sitting, Tim Glover MHK questioned how many bus routes were profitable on the island, after a seasonal service to Cregneash and the Sound was Michelle Haywood said it was "hard to tell... due to the number of concessions and prepaid cards" that were in she confirmed her department was working to improve how data is collected and acknowledged that buses provide "essential access for residents". It is expected to cost £12.4m to operate Bus Vannin this year, with passenger revenue projected to be £5.4 £7m deficit will be covered by asked how former minister Tim Crookall was able to deem as "not financially viable" the number 28 route to a folk village and beauty spot at the southernmost tip of the to her appointment as infrastructure minister, Haywood - who is MHK for the area concerned - criticised the decision to pull the service last year. 'Detailed costing process' Hayward said she believed her previous comments may have been made in relation to "money collected on board the bus" and "didn't account for any income that should have been apportioned from various concession cards".She went on to say that a "true picture needs more data" since routes' total income is affected "by many things such as the number of commuters using prepaid cards or passengers who have subsidised minister confirmed the government's upcoming bus strategy included a move to implement a "detailed route costing process" to understand where subsidies were "most heavily applied and help guide future decisions about where public support should be focused".But Hayward stressed that the bus service was "not about profitability on routes, or trying to make a profit".Rather, she said it was "about trying to keep our communities connected and provide services they need so they can access schools, shops and community activities in a way that is convenient and cost effective for them". Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
23-04-2025
- BBC News
Not running Cregneash bus route 'short-sighted', authority says
A decision not to run buses on a route serving a folk village and a beauty spot in the south of the Isle of Man has been described as "short-sighted" by a local Department of Infrastructure (DOI) last year applied to scrap the seasonal route that runs from Port Erin to the Sound as it was no longer financially latest Bus Vannin timetables have not included the route for the second year of Arbory and Rushen Commissioners Peter Gunn said the DOI's decision "undermines rural connectivity, the local economy and the island's own tourism strategy". Last week, the Road Transport Licensing Committee (RTLC) said it had been advised by the Attorney General's Chambers that it had no legal powers to stop the bus operator from terminating the service. 'Clear failure' The seasonal route had been run between late May and the last weekend before the start of the autumn school term each year since 2021, but was scrapped last local authority was "dismayed that such a vital route" had been "allowed to disappear without proper consultation" with local authorities or "recognition of the growing demand from both residents and tourists", Gunn that a route to Niarbyl, a rural tourist spot in the west of the island, continued to operate, Gunn said it "feels as though key decisions are being made in silos, without any consultation between departments". The local authority said that both Cregneash and the Sound were "key" tourist sites, and the seasonal bus service had played a "critical role in enabling access to one of the most stunning parts of our island". There had been a "clear failure of joined up government", and Arbory and Rushen Commissioners urged the department to "listen to the communities it serves" and reinstate the route, he BBC has contacted the DOI for comment. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Manx electric bus trial to help reduce carbon emissions
An electric bus will be serving some routes on the Isle of Man as part of moves to reduce carbon emissions. A 25-seat single-decker is set to travel through Manx towns carrying passengers until 19 April, following similar tests in 2023 and and 2024.A Bus Vannin spokesman said its time on the island would be spent analysing how the terrain "affects the battery technology available within this type of vehicle".The trial was part of a "continued evaluation of alternative fuel options and zero exhaust emissions" by the Department of Infrastructure (DOI), he said. The visit by the Alexander Dennis Enviro 100 has been provided for trial at no cost to Bus Vannin, the spokesman said the model, which was smaller and lighter than previous vehicles trialled on-island, had not been tested on Manx roads all-electric vehicle is set to be driven on "as many different routes as possible during the period" and the testing would "help build a wider knowledge base for Bus Vannin to understand what options could be available" in future, he in February 2023 included the vehicle carrying sandbags in place of that year the department ran passenger services on two buses, one single-decker and one double-decker, during the 2023 TT 2024, another model was tested for its suitability for the island's roads. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
