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 A Southern VectisAlexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC inShanklin in January 2018 | |
| Parent | Go-Ahead Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1921 |
| Service area | Isle of Wight |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Fleet | 105 |
| Operator | Go South Coast |
| Chief executive | Ben Murray[1] (Interim) |
| Website | www |
Southern Vectis is a bus operator on theIsle of Wight, founded in 1921 as Dodson and Campbell. It became the Vectis Bus Company in 1923. The company was purchased bySouthern Railway before being nationalised in 1969. In 1987, the company was re-privatised, and in July 2005, it became a subsidiary ofGo-Ahead Group.
In 1921 inCowes, the company was founded as Dodson & Campbell.[2] In 1923, it was renamed the Vectis Bus Company. Vectis was the Roman name for the Isle of Wight. The buses were built by the London bus body builder, Christopher Dodson.
In 1929, the company was purchased bySouthern Railway andincorporated as the Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited.[3]
In 1948, Southern Railway wasnationalised and then in 1969, Southern Vectis became part of theNational Bus Company.
In 1986, withderegulation after theTransport Act 1985, the business was sold in amanagement buy out.[4][5] Five new operators entered the market on theIsle of Wight.
In 1987, Southern Vectis startedBadger Vectis inPoole, andSolent Blue Line inSouthampton. The new operations used older Southern Vectis buses and secondhand double-deckers.[6] Southern Vectis also moved into other business areas on theIsle of Wight. The company bought a self-drive van hire firm. It also bought twoFord Granada taxis, which ran from theCowes pontoon, and began taxibus services which continued until 1989.[7]
In 2003, Southern Vectis started The Pink Peril, a school service using a pink bus.[8][9]
In July 2005, Southern Vectis andSolent Blue Line were sold to theGo-Ahead Group and became part ofGo South Coast.[10]
In April 2006, the network changed, withNewport the hub and other routes linking to it. Some routes, for example the Island Explore, were lost. However, the changes proved successful. Within 18 months, passenger numbers increased by 45 per cent. This included a 14 per cent growth in fare-paying customers.[11]
In October 2009, Southern Vectis launched a website promoting acar scrappage scheme, which offered island residents a 12-month season ticket for bus journeys if they scrapped their car. The company said five vehicles were scrapped in the first fortnight and that it had received around 6,000 enquiries within this period.[12][13]
In 2011, Southern Vectis closed its garage in Park Road,Ryde. It is now the site of theIsle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum,[14] though some Southern Vectis buses remain in the neighbouring yard. Most of the fleet is now at the Nelson Road, Newport garage, with other outstations around the island. Another former garage, at Pier Street,Ventnor, was put up for auction in December 2020, with planning permission for two shops and 10 flats, but subsequently withdrawn.[15]
On 13 June 2022, a consortium of Australia'sKinetic Group (51%) and Spain'sGlobalvia (49%) launched a takeover bid of the Go-Ahead Group.[16][17] The majority of shareholders accepted the offer in August 2022.[18]
In March 2024, Go South Coast and the Isle of Wight Council made a successful bid for 22 new electric double decker buses, as part of the UK government's 'ZEBRA' scheme. This represents an investment of £12.7 million, including the installation of charging facilities at the depot.[19] A further £4.7m bid of 9 buses was won, these will be used on services 4, 8 and 37 starting from Ryde. All of the electric buses are due to commence operation in 2026.[20]
As a result ofderegulation in 1986, several competitors started up and others increased their existing services. These competitors included Gange's Minicoaches, Grand Hotel Tours, Island Travel (Cooke's Coaches of Porchfield),Moss Motor Tours,Seaview Services' RedLynx andWiltax of Shanklin.[2][21] Island Travel and Gange's Minicoaches established routes betweenCowes andRyde.[2]
The newly privatised Southern Vectis responded with new business practices. These raised the interest of theOffice of Fair Trading which, in 1987, found the behaviour to beanti-competitive.[2][22]
It was alleged that Southern Vectis ran buses immediately ahead of competitors and that its drivers waited for competitors' vehicles in order to beat them to waiting passengers.[23] In 1991, these duplication tactics were seen again when Southern Vectis shadowed anIsle of Wight County Council-contracted bus run by Norman Baker Taxis.[22]
In 1986, Southern Vectis acquiredNewport bus station as part of itsprivatisation and refused competitors access.[24] The Office of Fair Trading report in 1988 found Southern Vectis' behaviour anti-competitive. Southern Vectis was told to allow competitors to use the bus station or to appear before theCompetition Commission. Gange's Minicoaches, the plaintiff, was offered stand F in Ryde bus station and a stand in the Newport bus station. Gange's did not agree the charges for either and continued to operate from the opposite side of Ryde bus station on council land, and the South Street bus stop in Newport, until its service ended.
Southern Vectis started to franchise its routes[when?].[22] For instance, Southern Vectis franchised Solent Blue Line routes toMarchwood Motorways; the Newport Town Circular was franchised to M-Travel, and then to Alpha Group after M-Travel closed. The Traditional Bus Company and The Village Bus Company franchised open-top routes including the Shanklin Pony.
In 2008, after its sale toGo-Ahead Group, Southern Vectis competed with theIsle of Wight Council'sWightbus school services, duplicating routes and claiming term ticket fees for student passengers from the council.[25] In September 2010, the council engaged Southern Vectis to operate many school bus routes. Services began in 2012 under Vectis Blue; the public were not able to use them. In 2021, they integrated into Southern Vectis.
As of 2009, Southern Vectis operated 15 standard bus services,[26] the most frequent being route 1, running every 7–8 minutes.[27] Night buses ran on some routes on Friday and Saturday nights:[5]
Southern Vectis's Open Top Tours (orange and yellow livery) ran two circular summer routes to tourist destinations. In 2007, Open Top Tours was rebranded Island Breezers (yellow and blue livery). Other open-top tours by Southern Vectis included The Needles Breezer, The Downs Breezer, The Sandown Bay Breeze" (finished 2012).
In 2007, an Island Coaster service started betweenRyde andAlum Bay with a £10 all-day ticket, or longer period tickets for residents.[28][29][30] The Island Coaster followed the route of two former services, the 12 from Ryde to Sandown and the 7/7A from Sandown to Alum Bay. Stops were atFreshwater Bay andBlackgang Chine, linking them withVentnor,Shanklin,Sandown andRyde. To get between Blackgang Chine andBrook nearBrighstone, the service used the Military Road.
The 2008 season began on 15 March and finished on 2 November 2008. Route X4 was removed (although still displayed on buses). There was no stop at theBembridge Coast Hotel orSandown Esplanade. In 2009, there was only one morning and one afternoon journey each way, one of which terminated or started in Shanklin rather than Ryde and reached from Freshwater Bay to Yarmouth, but not reaching Alum Bay. Coaches were used rather than buses.[31][32][33]
In 2011,The Shanklin Steamer began (to Old Village, Shanklin Esplanade,Shanklin Chine and theShanklin railway station).[citation needed].
Until September 2009, three tourist road trains operated along the seafront ofRyde,Shanklin andSandown. The services were run by Southern Vectis under contract to Isle of Wight Council. In April 2010, it was announced that the vehicles would retire due to maintenance costs. In January 2011, the Dotto Trains were sold to a dealer inLlandudno.[34]
In July 2012, a £28m school transport contract was made by the Isle of Wight council and Southern Vectis.[citation needed] New Optare Solo SR M920s arrived in September 2012. Some were transferred from the Go-Southcoast subsidiary, Damory Coaches, formed ofVolvo B12Ms with Alieeze T9 Bodywork Registered MV02.[citation needed] New double deckers fromAlexander Dennis were delivered in January 2013.[citation needed] Southern Vectis' involvement in coaching had varied through the years; early in the company's history the firm took no interest in coaching, preferring to leave the field to others. However, the company became involved in coaching through acquisition and conglomeration.[citation needed]
Some buses had previously been acquired from Fountain Coaches. The company had been assimilated into Southern Vectis when theNational Bus Company rationalised in 1969.[35] West Wight Bus & Coach Company and four of its coaches had been purchased by Southern Vectis in 1987.[36]Moss Motor Tours was purchased by Southern Vectis in 1994. Wightrollers' 11 coaches were purchased byGo South Coast in July 2011. Southern Vectis employed staff from the firm.[37]
The company has been involved in Isle of Wight events such as theIsle of Wight Festival and theBestival. Additional buses were brought to the island. During the Isle of Wight Festival, extra shuttle services were run from Lymington to YarmouthWightlink ferry terminal; from theSouthampton to East CowesRed Funnel ferry terminal; and from thePortsmouth to Fishborne and Portsmouth toRydeWightlink ferry terminal and Fastcat passenger boat terminal.[38]
An Open Top Christmas Lights Tour has been operated. One of the company's Island Breezer-liveried buses took a two-hour journey past the most illuminated houses on the island.[39] For 2008, a stop at the Old World Tea Rooms in Godshill was added for complimentarymince pie and a hot drink.[40]
In 2009, the company ran the Sailbus duringCowes Week.[41] There was decreased patronage due to new fares and the service did not run the following year.[42]
Southern Vectis has increased its fares to reflect its market position and lack of effective competition. Fares have also reflected the need to provide free transport to a relatively large population of elderly people on theIsle of Wight.[43][44]
Students under 19 in full-time education on the Isle of Wight previously received discounted fares under theIsle of Wight Council'sStudent Rider scheme.[45] In July 2010 after cuts in funding from theUK government to local authorities, the scheme was ended.
Island residents and visitors living in England over the qualifying age or with a disability previously travelled free in the council area at any time of day, under the government'sEngland-wide scheme. In 2007, the Isle of Wight council reduced its reimbursement to Southern Vectis for free-travelling passengers from 76 per cent to 46 per cent.[46] In 2009, concessionary travel accounted for just under half of all journeys on Southern Vectis.[11] In 2010, free travel was restricted to off-peak times, reflecting the approach of the majority of English councils.[47]
On 17 March 2008, Southern Vectis ended several evening, night and Sunday routes.[48][49] Details of the service cuts emerged soon afterwards.[50] On 1 September 2008, routes 27, 28 and 29 ended.[51]
In 2009, another subsidy decrease occurred. Routes 4 and 5, some journeys on route 6, routes 14 and 16 were withdrawn.[52] In 2009, Southern Vectis staff went on strike for three days over pay.[53]
In 2017, Southern Vectis introduced acontactless payment system.[54] In 2021, Tap On Tap Off[55] began, a contactless ticket-free payment system enabling capped daily fares.
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As of June 2025, Southern Vectis operates a fleet of 130 buses.[56]
In April 2006, almost all Southern Vectis buses were painted in a new Best Impressions livery of two shades of green and a new logo and slogan, "the island's buses".[57] This was refreshed by Best Impressions in 2014 to incorporate a large green swoop towards the back of the vehicles, similar to the Vectis Blue livery. Before 2014, most open-top routes had blue and orange livery, with Island Breezers branding. This was revised in 2014, when the Needles Breezer received a blue, green and orange livery, reminiscent of Go South Coast's Purbeck Breezers. This livery extended to the rest of the Island Breezers fleet as the buses were replaced or repainted.
Early in the morning of the 20th of June 2025, a double decker bus used for theIsle of Wight Festival, operating between the festival nearNewport andSandown Airport, caught fire. Emergency services were called at 00:40 BST to Newport Road.[58] As a result of the blaze the bus was 100% damaged. The bus was formerly used bySalisbury Reds.
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