Bus Vannin logo since June 2009 |
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Type | Government owned |
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Traded as | Douglas Corporation (1922β30)[1] Isle of Man Road Services Ltd. (1930β76)[2] Isle of Man National Transport Ltd. (1976β87) Isle of Man Transport (1987β2009) Bus Vannin (2009βpresent) |
Industry | Bus service |
Founded | 1 October 1976 ( 35 years, 164 days) |
Headquarters | Transport Headquarters, Banks Circus, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 5PT |
Area served | Isle of Man |
Key people | Nick Black (CEO) Ian Longworth (Director) |
Services | Public transport |
Owner(s) | Isle of Man Government |
Employees | 100+ |
Parent | Isle of Man Government (Department of Community, Culture and Leisure) |
Website | iombusandrail.info |
Bus Vannin (Manx: Barroose Vannin; styled as bus vannin) is the title of the government owned and operated bus service on the Isle of Man. The name was adopted in June 2009 having previously been branded as Isle of Man Transport. The company was originally founded on 1 October 1976[3], with the name National Transport which itself was an amalgam of several smaller operating companies.
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The first omnibus services on the island were provided by the Manxland Bus Co., Ltd., in addition to several smaller operators which operated independently. Primary means of long-distance travel was by way of either the Isle of Man Railway to the west, south and north (via the westerly side of the island) or Manx Electric Railway on the east coast.
When bus competition became a threat to the Isle of Man Railway it bought out the bus company and operated it as "Isle of Man Road Services" in conjunction with the railway. In addition to the island-wide services Douglas Corporation also operated a fleet of buses around the capital, distinctive by their yellow livery. As the railway company began to falter, it relied more heavily on the bus operation, and when the railway lines closed for the first time in 1965 the bus services were intensified to replace the removed rail services.
The vehicles of Road Services carried an allover red livery with two off-white bands and the Railway Company crest was modified to include a facsimile of a bus instead of a railway locomotive. The buses of Douglas Corporation which only operated within the borough, carried an allover yellow livery with two red bands and corporation crest.
Both operators used the bus station on Lord Street in Douglas as their base although today this site has been given over to car park whilst buses use roadside lay-bys on Lord Street itself. The two companies operated services independently from this site until the operations began to falter in the early 1970s at which time government intervention was required to ensure continued operation.
When the service was initially nationalised in 1976 the buses carried National Transport logos and a new livery, predominantly of red with white trim, having previously carried a variation of this colour scheme under the Road Services banner. The nationalised service was characterised by its use of many second hand vehicles from England, a practice which continued until relatively recently, from a variety of sources including Liverpool Corporation as well as the nearby Birkenhead Corporation.
By 1987 when a new management scheme was under way, a new livery of cream and red was introduced, and Isle Of Man Transport adopted as the title, using a similar design motif to all the island's government departments including a Three Legs motif. During this period the buses carried a variety of advertisements along their side panels, with several distinctive buses carrying all-over advertising for local businesses including the Gaiety Theatre, Lombard Bank, Wild Life Park and the National Coal Board.
A further change of leadership in 1999 saw the introduction of brand-new buses and gradual phasing out of older stock, latterly used only on school services, and the advertising policy changed resulting in no advertisements appearing at all. By 2009 a further change of policy resulted in the reintroduction of advertisements which has proved popular, with local radio stations, estate agents, travel agents and cinemas taking advantage of the new scheme which operates on a fixed six-monthly rate for the space used. There are a number of vehicles fitted with trim for affixing adverts that do not carry them however.
The nationalised bus service on the island came into being in 1976 as National Transport taking over from both the Road Services (a subsidiary of the Isle of Man Railway Company) and Douglas Corporation Transport, operated by the municipal authority. The vehicles were liveried in an all-over red colour scheme, later changed to include wide white banding although with the fleet consisting of a wide selection of different second hand vehicles the uniform appearance was not successful. By 1987 the white banding had become cream in colour, and the full Isle of Man Transport title was added to all vehicles. During the period up to 1997 advertising panels were carried on the sides of some vehicles, and, in certain cases, all-over advertising was used (see above).
In April 2009, eleven new Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 vehicles were added to the fleet, carrying a maroon and cream livery with the Bus Vannin branding which is now used in all literature and timetabling information. Not all of the fleet have been rebranded to carry this new livery, however the Wright StreetLite vehicles that entered service in 2010 were delivered in the new livery although the overall colour scheme is largely cream with some maroon detailing, the opposite of the 2009 deliveries.
In 2011, Bus Vannin took delivery of 12 Mercedes-Benz O530LE Citaro single deckers, which appeared in a plain silver livery with Bus Vannin decals; further new buses are expected to arrive on the island in 2012 and these will be in another varied livery of silver. The bus service continues to be operated by the government but is now more clearly segregated from the railways, which are now titled Isle of Man Heritage Railways though they remain managed by the same group.
2010 saw the introduction of Hullad Oie (night owl) late night services on the timetable and these services operate at weekends into the early hours serving the satellite towns from Douglas departing at approximately midnight. Totems at bus stops are in the process of being updated to the new maroon scheme and wording also appears in Manx Gaelic on these, and digital destination displays on the vehicles also have an option to show the place names in the language as well.
There are 3 main bus depots on the island which provide passenger facilities and storage areas for off-duty buses. With the exception of Douglas, these are located at one position, with the Douglas storage area at Banks Circus being a workshop and bus yard with no passenger facilities. The passenger facilities provided at all the main stations are limited, and some facilities are only open during certain times of the day.
In the past there have also been premises in Laxey, the site later being occupied by Princes Motors and vehicle storage yards are also located next to the depots at Port Erin and Ramsey. The facilities in Peel were lost in 2010. The garage and facilities in Ramsey were taken over from the original Manxland Omnibus Company, and have remained in bus company ownership ever since.
The yard at Port Erin is on the site of former railway platforms whilst the original garage now houses the Port Erin Railway Museum which opened in 1975; the current garage was built as a replacement the following year and remains open today.
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From | To | Via | Notes | |
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2 11 12 N1 |
Birch Hill | Port St Mary (1/11/12/N1/X1) Port Erin (2) |
Douglas Promenade, Douglas (Lord St), Ronaldsway Airport, Castletown, Port Erin (1/N1) Douglas (Lord St), Ronaldsway Airport, Castletown (2) Rosemount, Douglas (Lord St), Ronaldsway Airport, Castletown, Port Erin (11/12) Douglas (Lord St), Castletown, Port Erin (X1) |
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3A 3B N3 |
Douglas (Lord St) | Ramsey | St Ninian's, Onchan, Laxey Onchan, Ballachrink, Laxey (Sundays and evenings) Ballaragh, Laxey (3B) |
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4A 4B |
Douglas (Lord St) | Niarbyl (4) Peel (4A) IoM Business Park (4B) |
White Hoe, Foxdale, Patrick, Glen Maye (4) White Hoe, Foxdale, St John's (4A) Peel Road (4B) |
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5A N5 X5 |
Douglas (Lord St) (5/5A) Ramsey (N5) Douglas (Lord St) (X5) |
Ramsey (5) Peel (5A) Peel (N5) Peel (X5) |
Nobles Hospital, St John's, Peel, Knocksharry, Wildlife Park (5) Crosby, St John's (5A) St John's (X5) |
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6A 6C |
Douglas (Lord St) | Ramsey (6) Peel (6A) Ramsey (6C) |
Crosby, St John's, Peel, Knocksharry, Wildlife Park (6) Nobles Hospital, St John's (6A) Crosby, St John's, Peel, Cronk-y-Voddy, Wildlife Park (6C) |
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Peel | Niarbyl | Patrick, Glen Maye, Dalby | ||
8A |
Peel (8) Port Erin (8A) |
Port Erin (8) Calf Sound (8A) |
St John's, Foxdale, Airport, Castletown (8) Bradda (8A) |
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9A |
Douglas (Lord St) | Ballabrooie | Nobles Hospital (9) | ||
13B 30 30A |
Nobles Hospital (13) Banks Circus (13B/30/30A) |
Old Laxey (13/13B) Port Jack (30) Derbycastle (30A) |
Douglas, Derbycastle, Groudle (13) Douglas, Onchan, Groudle (13B) Douglas Promenade, Derbycastle (30) Douglas Promenade (30A) |
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Ramsey | Maughold | |||
17B 18 |
Ramsey | Ramsey | Jurby, Andreas, Smeale, Bride Sulby, Ballaugh, the Lhen, Andreas, Regaby (17B) |
Circular | |
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Ramsey | Ramsey | Jurby, St Judes | Circular | |
20A |
Ramsey | Ramsey | Andreas, Smeale, Bride (20) Bride, Smeale, Andreas (20A) |
Circular | |
21A 21B |
Douglas (Lord St) | Douglas (Lord St) | Farm Hill, Anagh Coar (21) Ballaughton, Farm Hill, Anagh Coar (21A) Anagh Coar, Nobles Hospital, Farmhill, Anagh Coar (21B) |
Circular | |
22A 22W |
Douglas (Lord St) | Douglas (Lord St) | Willaston, Manx Arms, Willaston (22) Willaston, Birch Hill, Willaston (22A) Willaston (22W) |
Circular | |
23A |
Nobles Hospital | Onchan (Ballachrink/Lakeside) | Douglas (Lord St), Dukes Road (23) Douglas (Lord St), Lower Victoria Road (23A) |
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Nobles Hospital | Nobles Hospital | Douglas, Hailwood Avenue, Birch Hill, Douglas | Circular | |
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Douglas (Lord St) | Port Soderick | White Hoe |
Single and return tickets are available on the buses. Owing to the combined nature of operations, bus tickets are also valid on the Isle of Man Railway to Port Erin and the Manx Electric Railway to Ramsey. The ticket prices are based on the zones all over the island, and multi-journey tickets vary in cost and colour depending zones you pass through when you use one. The standard fares vary from 50p to Β£1.40 for children and 90p to Β£3 for adults.[4] Senior citizens travel free of charge at off-peak times.
A new timetable update was released in May 2011.[5]
Since the update of the timetable in September 2010, there are several different new kinds of tickets available. The Short Hop fare is for passengers that are travelling up to 3 stops in towns. These cost 50 pence per ticket, and are bought on the vehicle. Multi-journey tickets, known as Manx Rider (previously known as Manx12) which are valid for twelve single journeys, and offer discounts averaging 25%. The price and discount are based on the normal bus fare for the journey rather than zones.
Island Explorer tickets entitle the holder to unlimited travel on scheduled services of the Steam Railway, Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway, Douglas Horse Trams and Buses (except Manx Express). Adult tickets include one accompanying child free of charge. Child fares apply between 5 and 15 years old, or those between 16 and 19 still in full time education in possession of a school card.
There are bus-only Island Explorer tickets available, which offers unlimited travel on scheduled bus services, except early morning and evening Manx Express services. These are available in 1, 3, 5 or 7 day options, with day tickets also available from on board the vehicle.
There is a 5 day Heritage Explorer ticket available and, like the Island Explorer ticket, this offers unlimited travel on scheduled bus services (except Manx Express buses), Isle of Man Steam Railway, Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway, and Douglas Horse Trams. This ticket, like the other Explorer tickets, gives a child (5 to 15 years) free travel with an accompanying adult, and their ticket. The ticket also entitles the holder free admission to all Manx National Heritage sites.[6]
The full range of discount and Explorer tickets is available from the depot in Ramsey, manned ticket offices at the main railway and tramway stations and from the Welcome Centre in the Sea Terminal in Douglas.
The Bus Vannin fleet currently has 83 vehicles in service as of November 2011. The fleet is largely double deck (64 vehicles) and has been entirely low floor since with the withdrawal of the last Leyland Olympian in July 2010. The DAF/VDL DB250LF is the mainstay of the Bus Vannin fleet, with 32 vehicles in service.
The Mercedes-Benz O530LE Citaro is the standard single deck vehicle in the fleet, with 12 of these vehicles entering service in 2011. These are the newest vehicles in the fleet. Six Wright StreetLites which were the only vehicles of an original batch of twelve delivered, are primarily used on rural services on the island. There is also a unique Alexander Dennis Dart in the fleet which is the last Dart in service with Bus Vannin, with the Marshall-bodied examples now having been withdrawn.
The double deck side of the fleet is more varied, with the most common type being 32 DAF/VDL DB250LFs with East Lancs Myllennium Lowlander bodywork. These are joined in the fleet by fourteen Alexander Dennis/TransBus Trident IIs with East Lancs Myllennium Lolyne bodywork and 11 Volvo B9TLs with Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodywork, these being the newest double decker vehicles in the fleet. There are also seven Dennis Trident IIs with East Lancs Lolyne bodywork, however these are now in the process of being withdrawn.
Image | Chassis | Bodywork | Number | Built | Notes |
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Mercedes-Benz O530LE Citaro | Mercedes-Benz Citaro |
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Low floor | |
Wright StreetLite 9.5M | Wright StreetLite |
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Low floor | |
Alexander Dennis Dart SLF | East Lancs Spryte |
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Low floor | |
Total (single deck) |
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DAF DB250LF VDL DB250LF |
East Lancs Myllennium Lowlander |
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Low floor | |
Alexander Dennis Trident II TransBus Trident II |
East Lancs Myllennium Lolyne |
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Low floor | |
Volvo B9TL | Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 |
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Low floor | |
Dennis Trident II | East Lancs Lolyne |
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Low floor (Pending withdrawal) |
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Total (double deck) |
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Total (all vehicles) |
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