Price hike for round-island bus trips

Thursday 14 March 2019

A new £5 around-the-island bus fare is being introduced for the growing number of cruise ship passengers who use the current £1 service.

The new fare is part of the Committee for Environment and Infrastructure's plans for the bus service, including price increases, timetable changes and the long-awaited introduction of contactless payment.

From 1 April, anyone doing a round-island trip on Routes 91 and 92 will have to pay the new £5 fare, but passengers using the service purely to travel shorterdistances will be able to pay the standard £1 charge.

The new fare is aimed at taking the pressure off the scheduled bus services on cruise ship days, and it will work alongside a £10 guided tour run by Island Coachways.

Pictured: Island Coachways will be running a guided tour to meet demand from tourists (Image from Island Coachways website).

As a result Route 62, which was introduced last year to help the 91/92 services, will be removed from 29 April. Other proposed timetable changes include a reduction in 'off-peak' services on Routes P2, 51 and 52 and the introduction of more early-evening services on a number of routes throughout the summer.

The committee has also suggested a move away from 'clock-face' departures from the Town Terminus to cut congestion at nearby stops., but this will see a change to timings along some routes it's claimed. 

Pictured: The States are advising bus-users to check the proposed timetable changes.

We could also see a rise in pay-as-you-go and other smart card fares. This will be followed by the introduction of new contactless payment equipment on the buses, which should be in place by the summer if enough people want it to. 

The standard cash fare will remain at £1, as will the existing 'Nightowl' service on Fridays and Saturdays.