Important Changes to route 9 during The Isle of Wight Festival
1 year ago
Changes to route 9 (Ryde to Newport) throughout the Isle of Wight Festival period
From Wednesday 18th June until Sunday 22nd June 2025 inclusive, all route 9 buses from Ryde to Newport will operate via Staplers between 0900 and 1900 each day.
Historically, route 9 becomes unreliable and overcrowded during the Festival weekend as a result of the one-way system in place on Fairlee Road, and the large influx of additional passengers going to the Festival.
Customers from Ryde, Binstead or Wootton going to Festival
In addition to the Ryde Esplanade to Festival shuttle and normal route 9 journeys, we’re once again operating a special service Route 9F along the route from Ryde, John Street to the Festival site calling at all stops (this service does not serve Transport Interchange or Belvedere Street / Cross Street stops. It will operate every 20 mins between 0900 and 1900 from Thursday 19th to Sunday 22nd (not Wednesday 18th).
Special fares will be in place on Route 9F but regular Southern Vectis Rover/Freedom tickets will be accepted. ENCTS bus passes are not accepted on this special service.
If you’re travelling from Ryde Esplanade to Festival, you should use the shuttle bus which will take you direct to the Festival site.
If you’re travelling from elsewhere in the Ryde area, you should connect with the special Route 9F shuttle bus at John Street.
Customers NOT going to Festival
Route 9 will be operating throughout the weekend between Ryde and Newport, via Binstead and Wootton
From Wednesday 18th June until Sunday 22nd June 2025 inclusive, all route 9 buses from Ryde to Newport will operate via Staplers between 0900 and 1900 each day.
On the Wednesday, whilst the festival has not actually started, this year route 9 will still be diverted via Staplers between 0900 and 1900, due to the extreme traffic levels that surround Newport on this day before the Festival starts - we have done this in order to keep the service on regular route 9 moving as best we can.
Customers for stops along the Fairlee section of route that the regular route 9 is not serving are advised as follows:
- For stops along Lushington Hill between Racecourse roundabout and Wootton Cedars, customer should use route 4 to Wootton Cedars and connect there with route 9 via Staplers
- For customers between Racecourse roundabout and Seaclose/Fairlee should use route 5 and connect to route 9 at Newport bus station