Bus services to Jurby are set to improve under a new timetable due to be introduced by bus vannin next month.
The village and surrounding area will become the latest to be served by the on-demand connectVILLAGES minibus service, alongside scheduled buses at peak times.
Timetabled services arriving at the Jurby Threshold shelter from Monday to Friday will continue at 6.55am, 8.02am, 8.15am, 9.02am, 2.52pm, 4.12pm, 4.27pm, 5.27pm, 6.22pm, 7.04pm, 9.02pm and 10.54pm.
Saturday services arriving at the Jurby Threshold shelter will continue at 6.55am, 8.02am, 2.02pm, 5.27pm, 9.02pm and 10.54pm.
Sunday services will be unchanged.
ConnectVILLAGES will replace five Monday-Friday and nine Saturday services, linking Jurby with Ramsey, Andreas, Bride and Maughold.
The service enables customers to be collected from their home, subject to adequate vehicle access, and dropped off at their destination. It is led entirely by demand from bookings and other passengers who are booked in and heading in the same direction are collected along the way.
A two-week bedding-in period will see connectVILLAGES run alongside the existing timetable prior to the new one being introduced.
Letters explaining how to use the service will be sent to all Jurby addresses and road shows will take place at Jurby Medical Centre to help residents find out more:
- Monday 1 April 2-4pm
- Thursday 4 April 11am-4pm
- Saturday 6 April 11am-1pm
Jason Moorhouse MHK, Member with responsibility for Public Transport, said:
‘Replacing underused routes with flexible and convenient services which enable social inclusion has been the key theme as connectVILLAGES has been successfully established.
‘I hope the Jurby community will visit the road shows taking place next month to speak to staff about how the service works and the benefits it has already delivered to so many people across the north of the Island.’
Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer MHK said: added
‘This improved service provides a further investment in the Jurby community and will come as welcome news to those who had been concerned by ill-informed online comment. It will also work well with the investments in new community and industrial development in Jurby that were announced recently.
'The demand responsive service has been welcomed by customers - even though we ask for 24 hours’ notice for a booking, we can usually provide a service with less notice and try to be flexible wherever we can’.
Launched in December to link the villages of Andreas, Bride, Maughold and Ramsey, connectVILLAGES has been well-received by the communities it serves. Customer satisfaction measured from January to March found 97.7% thought the service was excellent. Meanwhile, passenger numbers increased by 19% in both January and February compared to 2018 figures across the same area.
Bookings for connectVILLAGES can be made online at www.bus.im/connect or by calling +44 1624 697440 between 8.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Journeys can be booked up to 21 days in advance or until 4pm on the day prior to departure. Customers requiring a last-minute service are advised to check online availability or call the team, who do their utmost to accommodate any booking.
Standard fares apply for the service, which runs Monday-Saturday, 9am to 7pm.
For further information, contact bus vannin on +44 1624 662525 or email publictransport@gov.im
