Southern Vectis route 9
Encyclopedia
Southern Vectis route 9 is a bus route operated on the Isle of Wight
by Southern Vectis
between Newport
and Ryde
via Fairlee
/Staplers
, Wootton
and Binstead
. The general daytime frequency of the route is every 10 minutes in each direction, every 15 minutes on Sundays and every 15 minutes in the evening. Nightbuses are run on Friday and Saturday nights every hour. Double-decker buses are normally used to operate the route.
and then Newport. The Round-the-Island service was then completed by running from Newport to Ryde. Route 1
served the Fairlee route on its journey between Bembridge
and Cowes
(later Gurnard
). This service ran via Binstead Estate on its route between Ryde and Newport.
When the route first started operation in its current form, Newport Bus Station
was still in the process of being redeveloped so buses departed from Newport's temporary Litten Park bus stands, along with most other Southern Vectis bus routes. Now the bus station is in full operation, it departs from stand B, the only route to do so.
In mid-2007, after starting on Festival work, seven new Mercedes-Benz Citaro
were put into service on the route. As a result of this, the route became a specific low-floor route. If one of the Citaros was off the road (fairly common as there are seven for a peak vehicle requirement (PVR) of seven), a low floor double-decker substituted. This has become less of an issue now, however as the entire Southern Vectis network became low-floor guaranteed in May 2009.
On 30 September 2007, along with routes 1
and 3
buses were run all through the night every day of the week. This lasted until 16 March 2008 when, due to a drop in the subsidy levels paid to Southern Vectis by the Isle of Wight Council
, buses through the night were restricted to only Fridays and Saturdays.
In the run-up to the timetable change on 5 April 2009, there was some talk of a frequency increase for the route. There was enough demand to warrant this as buses on the route regularly ran full, however, it would required two more Citaros, and Southern Vectis had to first consider whether it would be worth it if the Isle of Wight Council further reduces subsidy. It was later confirmed in February 2008, when Southern Vectis registered its new timetable with the regional Traffic Commissioner that the route would be increased to run every 7–8 minutes from 5 April 2009. However, the Isle of Wight Council then did make a reduction in its payments for free travel, which resulted in it becoming uncommercially viable to run buses at this frequency. From 20 December 2009 the route was decreased to run every 10 minutes, with the vehicle allocation being altered to double-deck buses to provide 46% more seats. This is resulted in seven of the nine Citaros being transferred to Bluestar.
From 18 April 2010, the Sunday frequency on service 9 was decreased from every 10 minutes (6 buses per hour), back to every 15 minutes (4 buses per hour).
to Ryde Bus station with each bus either travelling via Fairlee
or Staplers
, alternating each time. Nightbuses are run on Friday and Saturday nights, however only run via Fairlee.
When the route first started operation on 1 April 2006, a bus every half an hour continued from Ryde to Bembridge
via Oakfield
, Tesco
and St Helens
. This was stopped from 1 October 2006 when route 14 took on most of this route.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
by Southern Vectis
Southern Vectis
The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
between Newport
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...
and Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
via Fairlee
Fairlee, Isle of Wight
Fairlee is a suburb of Newport, on the Isle of Wight, on the east side of the River Medina. Fairlee Road runs through the area. During a week in June each year the main road northbound is completely closed to vehicles during the Isle of Wight Festival. Fairlee Service Station, Seaclose Stores and...
/Staplers
Staplers
Staplers is a suburb of Newport, Isle of Wight, England, on the east side of the River Medina.It houses the Crown Offices which discharge the principal functions of national government on the Isle of Wight such as the Department for Work and Pensions...
, Wootton
Wootton Bridge
Wootton Bridge is a village and civil parish with about 4000 residents on the western bank of Wootton Creek on the Isle of Wight in southern England....
and Binstead
Binstead
Binstead is a village on the Isle of Wight. It is located in the northeast of the Island, two kilometres west of Ryde on the main road between Ryde and Newport.-Amenities:...
. The general daytime frequency of the route is every 10 minutes in each direction, every 15 minutes on Sundays and every 15 minutes in the evening. Nightbuses are run on Friday and Saturday nights every hour. Double-decker buses are normally used to operate the route.
History
Prior to the network change in April 2006, the route number 9 had not been used for any of Southern Vectis' routes since 1996, when the No 9 "Newport Nippybus" local service was transferred from SVOC to M-Bus. Immediately before the start of the new Route 9, journeys to Ryde from Newport via Staplers were covered by route 7 on the Island Explorer service. After running via the East and South of the Island, buses served YarmouthYarmouth, Isle of Wight
Yarmouth is a port and civil parish in the western part of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of mainland England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river...
and then Newport. The Round-the-Island service was then completed by running from Newport to Ryde. Route 1
Southern Vectis route 1
Southern Vectis route 1 is a bus service operated by Southern Vectis between Cowes and Newport on the Isle of Wight. The daytime frequency of the route is every 7-8 minutes. There are two route variants between Northwood and Cowes Pontoon, running either via Cowes Round House or Cowes Park and Ride...
served the Fairlee route on its journey between Bembridge
Bembridge
Bembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
and Cowes
Cowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
(later Gurnard
Gurnard, Isle of Wight
Gurnard is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, two miles to the west of Cowes. Gurnard sits on the edge of Gurnard Bay, enjoyed by the Gurnard Sailing Club.Gurnard's main street features a pub , a few shops and a few houses...
). This service ran via Binstead Estate on its route between Ryde and Newport.
When the route first started operation in its current form, Newport Bus Station
Newport (Isle of Wight) bus station
Newport bus station, on the Isle of Wight is located at Orchard Street in Newport town centre. Recent redevelopment has seen the former 1960s-built South Street bus station demolished, to make way for a new row of shops, and the current facility built behind that site...
was still in the process of being redeveloped so buses departed from Newport's temporary Litten Park bus stands, along with most other Southern Vectis bus routes. Now the bus station is in full operation, it departs from stand B, the only route to do so.
In mid-2007, after starting on Festival work, seven new Mercedes-Benz Citaro
Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series...
were put into service on the route. As a result of this, the route became a specific low-floor route. If one of the Citaros was off the road (fairly common as there are seven for a peak vehicle requirement (PVR) of seven), a low floor double-decker substituted. This has become less of an issue now, however as the entire Southern Vectis network became low-floor guaranteed in May 2009.
On 30 September 2007, along with routes 1
Southern Vectis route 1
Southern Vectis route 1 is a bus service operated by Southern Vectis between Cowes and Newport on the Isle of Wight. The daytime frequency of the route is every 7-8 minutes. There are two route variants between Northwood and Cowes Pontoon, running either via Cowes Round House or Cowes Park and Ride...
and 3
Southern Vectis route 3
Southern Vectis route 3 is a bus service operated on the Isle of Wight by Southern Vectis between Newport, Ventnor and Ryde. It also runs via Rookley, Godshill and Brading. The general daytime frequency of the route is every half-hour each direction, although in the evenings and on Sundays fewer...
buses were run all through the night every day of the week. This lasted until 16 March 2008 when, due to a drop in the subsidy levels paid to Southern Vectis by the Isle of Wight Council
Isle of Wight Council
The Isle of Wight Council is a local council. It is a unitary authority covering the Isle of Wight, South East England. It is currently made up of 40 seats, with the Conservatives as ruling party with 24 councillors at the latest local election in June 2009....
, buses through the night were restricted to only Fridays and Saturdays.
In the run-up to the timetable change on 5 April 2009, there was some talk of a frequency increase for the route. There was enough demand to warrant this as buses on the route regularly ran full, however, it would required two more Citaros, and Southern Vectis had to first consider whether it would be worth it if the Isle of Wight Council further reduces subsidy. It was later confirmed in February 2008, when Southern Vectis registered its new timetable with the regional Traffic Commissioner that the route would be increased to run every 7–8 minutes from 5 April 2009. However, the Isle of Wight Council then did make a reduction in its payments for free travel, which resulted in it becoming uncommercially viable to run buses at this frequency. From 20 December 2009 the route was decreased to run every 10 minutes, with the vehicle allocation being altered to double-deck buses to provide 46% more seats. This is resulted in seven of the nine Citaros being transferred to Bluestar.
From 18 April 2010, the Sunday frequency on service 9 was decreased from every 10 minutes (6 buses per hour), back to every 15 minutes (4 buses per hour).
Route
Currently the service runs directly to and from Newport Bus StationNewport (Isle of Wight) bus station
Newport bus station, on the Isle of Wight is located at Orchard Street in Newport town centre. Recent redevelopment has seen the former 1960s-built South Street bus station demolished, to make way for a new row of shops, and the current facility built behind that site...
to Ryde Bus station with each bus either travelling via Fairlee
Fairlee, Isle of Wight
Fairlee is a suburb of Newport, on the Isle of Wight, on the east side of the River Medina. Fairlee Road runs through the area. During a week in June each year the main road northbound is completely closed to vehicles during the Isle of Wight Festival. Fairlee Service Station, Seaclose Stores and...
or Staplers
Staplers
Staplers is a suburb of Newport, Isle of Wight, England, on the east side of the River Medina.It houses the Crown Offices which discharge the principal functions of national government on the Isle of Wight such as the Department for Work and Pensions...
, alternating each time. Nightbuses are run on Friday and Saturday nights, however only run via Fairlee.
When the route first started operation on 1 April 2006, a bus every half an hour continued from Ryde to Bembridge
Bembridge
Bembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
via Oakfield
Oakfield, Isle of Wight
Oakfield is a suburb of the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, England. Historically part of the St Helens parish, it was absorbed into Ryde Borough in 1933 and in turn into Medina Borough in 1974...
, Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
and St Helens
St Helens, Isle of Wight
St. Helens is a village and civil parish located on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The village is based around village greens. This is claimed to be the largest in England but some say the Village Green is the second largest. The greens are often used for cricket matches during the summer...
. This was stopped from 1 October 2006 when route 14 took on most of this route.
Services
| Bus leaves Departure point ↓ | First buses | Last buses | Journey Times (daytime)to: | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to Newport | to Ryde | to Newport | to Ryde | Ryde | Binstead | Wootton | Fairlee/Staplers | Newport | |||
| Ryde | 05:45 | 00:45 | 16:04 | 0h07 | 0h10 | 0h20 | 0h30 | ||||
| Binstead | 05:52 | 05:21 | 00:48 | 00:49 | 0h12 | 0h03 | 0h13 | 0h23 | |||
| Wootton | 05:55 | 05:17 | 00:51 | 00:44 | 0h19 | 0h07 | 0h10 | 0h20 | |||
| Fairlee/Staplers | 06:01/06:32 | 05:12/05:57 | 00:56/23:47 | 00:08/00:38 | 0h25 | 0h13 | 0h06 | 0h10 | |||
| Newport | 05:10 | 00:35 | 0h29 | 0h17 | 0h10 | 0h04 | |||||
External links
- Southern Vectis website - islandbuses.info
- Southern Vectis route list
- Southern Vectis route 9
- Full Timetable