Positives

Could do better

In serious need of attention

Comments 

Action Plan

Driving standards generally good and drivers often proactive at greeting passengers

Drivers could do more to alert passengers of the availability of day tickets

Few Drivers using excessive speed need to be identified for re-training

·          Front Nearside Window Graphics to Identify Through Tickets and Day and Period Tickets – Underway

·          RIBAS driver training (sympathetic driving) for all drivers - Completed

·          Plain Clothes Driver Monitoring Increased from 1 to 2 days per week - Done

Strong image and distinctive liveries

More attention should be given to cleaning and removing litter

Two members of staff per day  - employed to shuttle drivers between depots and sweep buses

·          Identify time of day to target bus sweeping better and examine availability of more resources - Outstanding

Good standard of vehicles especially newer ones

Some elderly vehicles still in frontline service

Oldest Darts create a poor impression

Fleet replacement programme in place to transform ‘green’ bus network fleet – 28 Scania double deckers.

·          Oldest Darts referred to replaced with new Scanias - Completed

·          Bus fleet upgraded so all ‘green’ network buses now low floor and Euro 3/4/5 - Completed

Route branded buses kept to correct services

Maybe more branding beneficial (It is recognised that the company has a fully branded network and has more recently reverted to branding only for specific services, no doubt for good reason)

Overall policy is to concentrate on marketing the network – especially important with our hub and spoke network.

·          All non ‘green’ bus network vehicles to be removed from Southern Vectis brand / livery - Underway

Good quality and accurate electronic destination displays

Rear destinations on all vehicles would be good

(Though we recognise many other operators do not show them at all)

Standard equipment specification for all new buses is now to include rear destinations.  Plans to upgrade Darts with Citaros will see increase in proportion of full rear displays.

·          All ‘green’ bus network vehicles have front, nearside and rear electronic destinations - Completed

Some sloppiness where timekeeping is concerned

Overall cycle times are clearly achievable – more attention needed to establish robust intermediate times, but given unpredictable nature of delays within the network.

·          Retiming of routes will allow intermediate timing points to be reset for fastest journey time and recovery time placed appropriately – Underway (2 timetable stages)

·          Agree timetable to repeat on annual basis.

Simple, easily understood fare structure which is quite will publicised: Through booking also good

Day tickets and open-top tours are expensive; through booking opportunities could be more prominently advertised

Cash single fares often poor value for money

·          Front Nearside Window Graphics to Identify Through Tickets and Day and Period Tickets – Underway

·          Website fare checker - Underway

Information provision generally good; website is excellent and fun.  Excellent, informative and comprehensive timetable books

Is there some waste in similar products from both the company and the County Council?

Need for timetables to be more readily available, especially at points of entry to the Island.

IW Council produce booklet for all operators, but in small quantities.  We fundamentally disagree with practice of carrying information for other operators and modes that expires during valid period of booklet.

Our booklet is hand delivered to 97% of Island homes.

·          Construct new racks in Ryde Bus Station – Outstanding

·          Deliver directly to Tourist Information shops rather than central stores - Completed

Demonstrably up to date stop-specific information at most stops; bus stop flags look distinctive and professional

Specific locations where information provision needs to be looked t (e.g., Ryde Bus Station, Ventnor Boots

Roadside publicity needs to show routes and journey times rather than just departure times

·          Review required of timetable information content at roadside, but ensuring it remains manageable

·          BUUK will assist in this exercise - Outstanding

·          Information provided in Ryde Bus Station – Completed

·          General information provision in Newport Bus Station – Underway

·          Look at level of general information available at key stops across Island (eg Shanklin Somerfield) - Outstanding

Open top services are distinctive with bright, cheerful buses and customer-orientated drivers, and the network covers many of the places tourists want to go

Commentaries need to be made more audible

Expensive!

We do not consider these to be social market products so pricing follows industry benchmarks.  Prices benchmarked against City Sightseeing tours.

·          Review commentary levels – external / internal - Outstanding

Good, comprehensive network coverage, well above average for a largely rural community, and most of it year round.

Core Network services often double as town services adding to trunk journey times

Few routes affected by diversions these days –

Route 11 required to maintain viability;

Route 4 truncated;

Route 16 truncated;

No Actions

Exceptionally long day covered on many services, including Sundays, with better-than-average frequencies for type of terrain.

No Actions

Some good infrastructure, e.g., Newport Bus Station

Concern at situation of some stops in Newport bus station

Ryde bus station in urgent need of attention

Newport Bus Station is managed within available space both within bus station and surrounding area/town – regularly risk assessed

Ryde Bus Station subjected to delayed redevelopment by IW Council.  Owned by railway operator.

·          Ryde Bus Station improved measurably with painting and information provision by Southern Vectis as interim measure - Completed

Need to reinstate priority measures in Newport, especially to improve access for buses to the bus station

Awaiting Newport Traffic plan from IW Council.

Lobbying for public transport weighting in future plans

No Action

Presentation of fleet, information and infrastructure presents a professional image and inspires confidence as does good network coverage (in both time and space)

Professionalism undermined by:

Dirty vehicles

Slack timekeeping

Casual look of uniforms

Use of wrong ticket stock

Very poor initial impression gained by visitors on arriving at Ryde  

Difficulty for visitors of obtaining timetables at entry points

·          Vehicle washing hindered by time restrictions on washing at both Ryde and Newport garages.

·          Review of running times underway

·          Polo shirts deleted – shirts now mandatory

·          One –off problem with supply or product

·          IW Council responsible for stalled redevelopment

·          Tourist Information Centres appear to be weak link in widespread distribution network

·          Proposed new garage will improve ability to wash vehicles more frequently - Underway

·          Review over next two timetables (first tranche already completed) – Underway

·          Repeat review annually

·          Ongoing uniform review – Ongoing

·          Stocks now maintained marketing period tickets – Completed

·          Interim spruce completed by Southern Vectis – Completed

·          Direct deliveries to TICs – Actioned

·          Identified Ryde Bus Station needs racking - Outstanding