Updated Service Specification for 2012 Bus Timetable
This is a summary of the timetable refinements that will be introduced on Monday 9th January 2012. The changes are limited and have been designed to balance the needs of passengers with the need to reduce the cost of bus services to taxpayers. This has been done by refining the core network, improving services where demand is strong and cutting costs by revising other services where least inconvenience is caused to passengers.
Nobles Hospital
When the new hospital was built it was served by a 30 minute frequency to Douglas. In 2010 the bus network review introduced a 15 minute service between Douglas and the Hospital.
The core 15 minute service has generated no real growth in bus usage and therefore the service level will now be reduced to every 20 minutes. This is achieved with one service 5 between Douglas and Peel, one journey on the 23/25 which operates via Saddlestone and one journey on the 3. Service 9 will also continue to link the current Noble's site with the old site.
Services 1, 2, 11 & 12 – Douglas to the South
In the last timetable change the service was extended from Douglas to Onchan and the day time
frequency increased to every 20 minutes. Early evenings and Sundays were enhanced to every 30
minutes. This was a very successful change with notable growth to the point where the service is
not quite coping with the passenger traffic in the period that remained at the lower frequency.
This change will extend the 20 minute frequency into the peak periods effectively adding one
journey per hour between Douglas and the South.
At the beginning and end of the working day some Onchan services on the 1 and 2 will be changed for services 11 and 12.
Service 3 – Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey
The regular half hour service has had the desired effect on stimulating growth. In 2012 one journey per hour is extended to the hospital in place of the 13 from Laxey.
On a Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening an additional journey is provided at 19.40 from Douglas to fill a gap in the evening services. Similarly the northbound gap between 17.40 and 18.40 will be filled with an additional Monday to Friday service to Laxey.
In Ramsey, Claughbane Estate will be removed from route 3 and added to the northern parish services.
Services 4, 4A and 7
Against the flow peak journeys on non school days will be withdrawn. On school days these are used to position buses for QEII and in the holidays effectively run empty in both directions.
Service 5 & 6 – Douglas, Peel and Ramsey
In the bus network review the service between Peel and Ramsey was made a regular 30 minute frequency as a result of combining the resource used on the previous route 10 to serve Cronk-yVoddy. Examination of the results has shown that demand has not increased sufficiently and in the 2012 revisions services between Peel and Ramsey will be hourly in the off peak periods.
The Ballawattleworth estate in Peel will retain its hourly link to Douglas and Peel with a bus terminating at The Highwayman.
Service 8 – Peel and the South
This service will operate with increased frequency in the summer months.
Service 9 – Ballabrooie
This service operates over a similar length of day from 07.30 to 18.00 Monday to Saturday. This whole service, despite the extension to the Hospital is the least used of the Douglas local services. The Saturday service will therefore be limited to shopping hours only.
Service 13 and 30 – Douglas Promenade to Laxey
Service 13 was made hourly between Old Laxey, Douglas Promenade and the Hospital at the bus network review. The passenger growth has been on the parallel service 3 which is now every 30 minutes. Service 13 will now operate between Bank Circus and Old Laxey every hour during the shopping periods only. The Saturday service 30 will be unchanged; the seasonal Sunday service will be extended to follow the Saturday route, giving lower Onchan a bus for the first time on a Sunday.
Services 16 to 20 - North of Ramsey
The introduction of a regular hourly service to Jurby has been successful but has highlighted the
weakness in demand to Bride and Andreas. On Saturdays the Maughold service typically carried a
total of 4 passengers on 3 journeys. The Maughold service will now be integrated with the bus
used for Bride and Andreas, effectively withdrawing 2 journeys to Bride and sending them to
Maughold in place of the existing 3 journeys. This will allow us to remove one vehicle from the
fleet.
In this process Claughbane estate previously served by the 3 will be served by these services. The opportunity has also been taken to make the Lezayre Estate service direct to and from the hospital- passengers will no longer have to change bus in one direction.
Service 23 and 25 – Victoria Road
The introduction of the bus network review gave Victoria Road an even 30 minute service replacing 2 infrequent journeys an hour. The demand in this area remains weak therefore the extension to the Hospital has been reduced to one journey per hour and the 25 service has been reduced to weekdays only.
Service 29 – Port Soderick
This is primarily a school service with some off peak journeys which carry very few people. The off peak journeys will be reduced from 5 days a week to 2 days a week; peak services continue.
