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Having not dealt with the bus service or taxis for four years I had an eye-opening experience when I welcomed two of my friends to the island for the first-time last month.
The pair arrived on the evening Manchester flight on a Saturday. They cleared baggage reclaim at 20:30, in the company of passengers from two other flights which also arrived after 20:00.
To my shock, no buses were arriving or leaving the Airport after 20:00. Supremely inconvenient considering I don’t drive, and no taxis were waiting at the stand either.
Fortunately, we were able to get to Town thanks to the goodwill of a friend with a car. After a few drinks we proceeded north a la the weekend night bus service which thankfully was operating after a staffing-induced lull earlier in the year.
A week of stress-free island travel followed thanks to much improved day time bus services and the odd EVie bike in the evenings.
But then came the question of getting them back to the Airport…
Pictured: EVie bikes came to the rescue for much of the trip.
It’s certainly my fault for not considering these travel issues beforehand – so the fact they were booked on the Sunday redeye flight created an even bigger headache.
We called 15 separate taxi services locally across three days. Of the few that picked up - some after repeat attempts - all said they were fully booked or not at the wheel at the required time.
And after checking the bus timetables, not a single bus was able to get from St. Sampson to the Airport without check-in closing.
We then considered hiring EVie’s and making the long morning ride, attaching the cabin bags with straps to our backs. But given the Sunday morning start, we feared that many bikes may be displaced from their usual pick-up points following Saturday night demand.
So, a friend once again kindly offered their services to get them to their destination in a prompt and dignified way.
We made it – but had I not been a local with personal contacts – the experience would, perhaps terminally, discourage future travel to our island.
We have already seen what happened to one unfortunate group at the Airport following a moderate evening delay.
Pictured: Dozens were stranded at the Airport earlier this year and locked out of the building.
A bus serving the Airport after 20:00 is surely the bare minimum. I accept Sunday’s see services stripped-back generally, but it seems odd to have the first bus arrive at the forecourt 30 minutes after check-in has closed for the first round of flights.
The core issue for both taxis and buses have been on repeat for months from both industry and government; there simply aren’t enough drivers.
One can only hope that the new bus operator brings back simple measures such as vehicle tracking and a desperately needed refresh to the website.
And one can only pray that the problems identified in the taxi review are rectified.
But a favourite phrase of the current batch of politicians rings as true here as it does for many other challenges: There is no magic wand or crystal ball.
