Isle of Wight buses

County advice overview

Southern Vectis is the sole bus operator on the Isle of Wight. They operate numerous routes providing coverage across the Island.

If you are travelling to the Isle of Wight without your own vehicle, there are additional summer routes for tourists to Isle of Wight beaches and popular destinations.

Key tips

If you have reduced mobility, or a disability, where possible plan your journey in advance so that you know:

• If the destination stop is accessible, and any arrangements you may need to make for onward travel
• Which mobility aids you will be travelling with. (Contact the bus provider if you are unsure whether you can travel with your scooter/wheelchair.)

It may also be worth considering: 

• Where the nearest bus stop is and which bus number you will need
• What method of payment is accepted
• If the ticket can be bought online
• Which destination stop you need. (The bus driver should be happy to help.)

Operators

Southern Vectis

www.islandbuses.info

Contact: 0330 0539 182

Southern Vectis are the only commercial bus operator for the Isle of Wight. They operate several main bus routes between all major towns on the Island all year round. They also operate the Island Breezer Buses which offer seasonal tourist services during the summer months.

Help with cost 

Southern Vectis

A variety of tickets are available on Southern Vectis bus services which can save you money as a frequent traveller, whether you are an Island resident or just visiting for a holiday. They include day and night tickets; 24-hour Rover tickets and 7-, 30- or 90-day passes.

Please note that the concessionary bus passes, listed below, are not accepted on the Island Breezer Buses.

Older Person’s Bus Pass

Concessionary bus passes are available for older people who have reached state pension age and are resident on the Isle of Wight. The Older Person’s Bus Pass entitles you to free travel on local bus services and throughout England, from 9.30am to 11.00pm, Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and on public holidays.

Residents of the Isle of Wight can apply online.

For further information, you can email the Isle of Wight Council: transport.info@iow.gov.uk

Disabled Person’s Bus Pass

If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass. There is no upper age restriction. 

The Disabled Person’s Bus Pass entitles you to free travel on local bus services and throughout England from 9.30am to 11pm, Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and on public holidays.

Residents of the Isle of Wight can apply online.

For further information, and eligibility criteria, you can email the Isle of Wight Council: transport.info@iow.gov.uk

New Islander Card 

(Local Concessionary Travel Scheme)

In addition to the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, the Isle of Wight Council offers the New Islander Card. This provides local concessionary travel fares to residents who have a ‘severe and enduring’ mental health problem and to residents who cannot use bus services without the assistance of a travelling companion. 

The card allows the holder and their companion to travel for free, at any time of day and on any day of the week, on eligible public bus services.

The travelling companion concession is solely available to Island residents who have been issued an English National Concessionary Bus Pass on the grounds of disability, or a New Islander Card issued on the grounds of a mental health problem.

Special assistance

Southern Vectis provide large format printed timetables for the visually impaired. Many of the buses are also fitted with ‘next stop’ announcement technology – helping you keep track of where you are on your journey.

Helping Hand cards can be provided to people with hidden disabilities. They discreetly tell the driver that extra assistance may be required. You can apply for a card via the Southern Vectis website below. Or contact Southern Vectis on 01273 886200.

https://www.islandbuses.info/helping-hand

Travelling with mobility equipment

All Southern Vectis buses are low floor, providing easy access and space for wheelchair users. 

Only mobility scooters below a certain size can be carried onboard. The maximum size must not exceed 100cm in length and 60cm in width. It is essential that you contact Southern Vectis with details of the make, model and dimensions of your scooter to obtain authorisation before travel. You may also be required to undertake training to ensure you can safely board the bus with your scooter.

Contact Southern Vectis: 01202 338421

Assistance dogs

Recognised guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed to travel for free on all Southern Vectis buses.

Routes and timetable links

When planning a journey by bus, things to consider might be “Where is my nearest bus stop?” and “What bus number do I need?”. You may also want to think about buying your ticket, what it will cost, can you pay by cash or card and can you buy it in advance online. Be aware that online tickets for buses are often non-refundable if you cannot make your journey.

Buses can only stop at marked bus stops, so you need to be sure where you are getting off in advance. If you are not sure, the bus driver should be happy to help you. Ask the driver to let you know when your stop is coming up. You may need to consider if the nearest bus stop is accessible if you are travelling with a scooter or wheelchair.

Timetables

Traveline is a public transport information and journey planning service and is a partnership of transport companies, local authorities and passenger groups which have come together to bring you routes and times for all travel in Great Britain by bus, rail, coach and ferry and to provide it in as many different ways as possible.

You can use Traveline to plan your journey and find timetables, before you travel or during your journey. 

Contact: 0871 200 22 33 

The national NextBuses website will help you search for bus timetables and your nearest bus stop. You can put in your postcode to find your nearest stop and the next bus due.

SMS text: For live and scheduled arrival information for specific bus stops, text the short code (for example, brkdwtg) shown on the information panel at that stop to 84268 (a charge applies for each return text, on top of the cost of the customer’s initial text message request.)

The BusTimes.org website also provides bus, coach and ferry transport information (under the heading ‘Map’, select Track buses and find bus stops). From here you can track buses across the UK, access timetables and next departure information, view maps, bus stop details and more.