The first two of six new double-deckers have arrived in the Isle of Man.
The bus replacement programme is a Council of Ministers-approved strategy for maintaining a modern and efficient fleet of buses.
In conjunction with the bus network review, the Department of Community, Culture and Leisure, which runs the nationalised bus service, says it has reduced the number of buses in the fleet by 20 without cutting key services.
As well as the new double deckers providing better service for peak routes, with the use of the newly-arrived minibuses, Bus Vannin will also have the ability to efficiently operate many of the services for rural communities.
Ian Longworth, director of public transport, said: ‘Bus Vannin takes a planned approach to replacing its old vehicles.
‘This ensures that passenger safety is always at the highest possible standard and operational efficiency is maximised. As part of this programme, two new double deck vehicles have arrived in the island and a further four will be arriving shortly. The new vehicles offer many benefits for Public Transport. They are built to the highest modern safety standards, are less expensive to maintain and are much more fuel efficient, as well as meeting Euro V emission standards.’
Graham Cregeen MHK, Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure, said: ‘The safety of everyone using public transport is vital and taking a proactive approach to maintaining our fleet is the only way to ensure the highest standards. In addition, the better efficiency provided by these buses will deliver long term savings for the department.’
The DCCL’s plans to save £300,000 a year by introducing bendy buses were last month ditched after highways bosses said the costs of changing roads to accommodate them was prohibitive.
{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/1m-bill-just-to-make-one-route-safe-for-bendy-buses-1-6235431|The Isle of Man Examiner this week revealed that the cost of changing roads to make them suitable for bendy buses for just one route would cost £1m.}
