Adjustments to the Island’s bus timetable will be implemented on Monday 9th January 2012. Many changes, including increased frequencies and additional services, reflect customer usage and demand; others will enable Bus Vannin to reduce its costs whilst seeking to minimise inconvenience to passengers. The changes have been approved by the Road Transport Licensing Committee. Hon Tim Crookall MHK, Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure, said: ‘We are trying to tailor bus services to meet the demands of the Island’s bus passengers while reducing the cost burden on the taxpayers. I am pleased that buses to the south will run more often in the peak periods and that the evening service between Douglas and Ramsey will be enhanced. Likewise, where demand is putting pressure on services, adjustments need to be made so bus passengers can be comfortably accommodated. However, it is unrealistic to run regular services that routinely attract only a handful of passengers spread over several bus journeys, so there are some reductions to services in the new timetable.’ Timetable changes in the New Year will include reducing the bus frequency to Noble’s Hospital from a 15 minute service to one bus every 20 minutes. Ian Longworth, Director of Public Transport, explained: ‘When the hospital was built it was served by a 30-minute frequency to Douglas. The bus network review introduced a 15 minute service between Douglas and the hospital. However, the core 15 minute service has seen no real growth in bus usage and therefore we are reducing the service level to every 20 minutes. This is provided by diverting one journey on service 5 between Douglas and Peel, one journey on service 23/25, which operates via Saddlestone, and one journey on route 3 Douglas to Ramsey service.’ The main other changes are as follows: Services 1, 2, 11 and 12 will see increased the frequency of early evening buses between Douglas and the South to cope with demand by extending the 20 minute frequency, effectively adding one journey per hour. At the beginning and the end of the working day some services on routes 1 and 2 will be changed to routes 11 and 12. On the Douglas-Laxey-Ramsey service number 3, the regular half hour service has achieved the desired effect of stimulating growth. The 2012 timetable will extend one service 3 journey per hour to Noble’s Hospital. In response to customer feedback, an additional evening 3 service is to be provided at 1940hrs from Douglas to fill a much criticised evening gap on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. An additional bus between Douglas and Laxey will fill the present gap between the 1740 and 1840 services on weekdays. Passenger growth on the half hourly service 3 has impacted on service 13 that runs hourly between Old Laxey, Douglas Promenade and the hospital. Bus Vannin is therefore going to operate this service between Banks Circus and Old Laxey during shopping periods only. The hourly extension of the route 3 to the hospital replaces this link. In Ramsey, Claughbane Estate will now be served by the northern parish routes rather than by Service 3. Other changes to be implemented involving the northern services 16 to 20 will adjust the Bride and Andreas service frequency to match demand but make the Lezayre Estate service direct in both directions to and from Ramsey Cottage Hospital- passengers will no longer have to change bus in one direction. The Maughold service will be integrated with the bus used on Bride and Andreas saving one off peak bus. This effectively means withdrawing two journeys to Bride and running them to Maughold in place of the existing three journeys. On Saturdays the Maughold services typically carry a total of four passengers on three journeys. Buses between Peel and Ramsey received significant tourist use during the summer months that has fallen away so from January buses 5 and 6 will reduce to an hourly service in off peak periods. The 9 currently serves Ballabrooie from 0700hours to 1800hours Monday to Saturday. Despite its route being extended to the hospital it is the weakest performer of all Douglas local services and this is reflected in the change of limiting the Saturday services to shopping hours only. The revised timetable has reductions in services to reflect demand, such as on the 23 and 25 (Victoria Road) services plus on service 29 serving Port Soderick, reducing the off peak journeys from five to two days per week. Bus Vannin will start operating to the 2012 timetable on Monday 9th January. A revised timetable leaflet and a sheet summarising the changes will be available from Friday 23rd December from the Welcome Centre in Douglas Sea Terminal and online at http://www.iombusandrail.info. ENDS