IWBRUG MEMBERS MEETING 24 OCTOBER 2026

Minutes of the meeting held at the Methodist Church Hall, Newport.

In attendance: the following Executive members – Stuart George (SG), Robert May (RM), plus 12 ordinary members.

Apologies from John Yunnie, James Nevell, Dina Jung, Rodney Archer, Ian Ward, Chris Biles and Vix Lowthion.

Meeting opened at 11:15 am.

Chairman’s Report (SG)

Island Line and FastCat

From 4 January, the 21.45 FastCat from Portsmouth Harbour will be rescheduled to 21.20 to connect with the last Island Line train to Shanklin. IWBRUG have been asking for this for a long time.

From 4 January, the 11.15 and 12.15 FastCat services from Portsmouth Harbour will be replaced by one at 11.35. This is to provide time for refuelling. It is thought that the 11.45 and 12.45 services from Ryde to Portsmouth will be replaced by one at 12.05.

The planned changes at weekends won't go ahead, neither will the planned retiming of the midnight car ferry from Portsmouth.

Southern Vectis (SV)

There was a meeting with SV on 20 October. Various issues were raised. The main points were:

  • Drivers on route 9 will wait 5 minutes for the midnight car ferry from Portsmouth at Fishbourne.

  • The new route 33 is doing well, at least at weekends. It does stop at route 9 stops between Wootton Common Crossroads and Newport.

  • A stop at Church Litten for incoming buses would take too much time. SV would like to drive through the car park to avoid the traffic lights but IWC oppose this.

  • Seasonal services and the Shanklin Shuttle were well used. Three new electric open-top buses for the Needles Breezer will be purchased for next year.

  • The new routes 38/39 have resulted in increased use. SV would require additional funding to reroute via the new Medina Healthcare Surgery.

Committee Members’ Reports

RM complained about an incorrect announcement at Ryde Esplanade station. SG reported that announcements are produced from Basingstoke!

Members’ Questions and Comments

  • There was a complaint about lack of seating while waiting for buses at Ryde Interchange. Diana Conyers (a Ryde Town councillor) said that there had been other complaints about this. She suggested the member contact the new IW councillor, Reuben Loake.

  • Phil Jelly reported on a recent meeting with Wightlink CEO, Katy Taylor. She will give more consideration to connections with trains and buses and is looking at Plus Bus deals. Phil also noted improved communication with Solent Transport Group (formerly WUG), who are now acting as users’ representative group rather than pressure group.

  • Diana Conyers (on behalf of Freshwater parish councillor) asked whether Calbourne Water Mill, which is served by the Summer Links service, could have a year-round service. It was suggested that she contact Tapnell Farm, which helps to fund the Summer Links service.

  • Diana also reported that several residents in Ryde have complained about increased vibration from the new electric buses, which are heavier. Several other members reported similar comments.

  • David Barnard asked if the Minibus Plus service 31 in Ventnor could be extended to run more days. SG reported that it is funded by Ventnor Town Council and IWC.

The meeting closed at 12.20 pm. The next meeting will be on 28 November. There will be no meeting in December. The next public meeting is provisionally scheduled for 23 January 2027.

 

 

IWBRUG MEMBERS MEETING 24th MAY 2026

Minutes of the meeting held at the Methodist Church Hall, Newport.

In attendance: the following Executive members – Stuart George (SG), Robert May (RM), Dina Jung (DJ), James Nevell (JN), Chris Biles (CB) and John Yunnie (JY) plus 9 ordinary members.

Apologies from Debbie Frost, Diana Conyers and John Hibberd.

Meeting opened at 11:15.

  1. Chairman’s Report (SG)

Some of the IWBRUG Executive Committee Members met with the Island Line Manager, Mark Dunn (MD), last Thursday. The issue of train service reliability and cancellations due to staff unavailability was discussed. Unfortunately, MD disclosed that it would not be possible to bring SWR mainland train crews to the Island to cover for unavailability for a number of reasons.

Operation of a 30-minute interval Ryde Pier Head – Shanklin train service would require the provision of additional sections of double track. This would be expensive to deliver.

Fare collection rates are improving on Island Line although MD asked for any instances of non-collection to be reported.

Station retail units are to be let.

  • Shanklin station retail unit is to be a non-profit making café.

  • Ryde Esplanade (former gift shop) is to be a fish shop.

  • Ryde Esplanade (around former ticket office) is to be an IW Steam Railway shop and enquiry centre.

Southern Vectis (SV) timetable starts tomorrow and printed copies are now available.

The Government has announced that children under 16 will travel free on buses during August. It is likely that the Go Ahead group, owners of SV, will participate in this scheme if it is not financially detrimental to them. The same Government scheme aimed at mitigating rising living costs for families will reduce VAT (5% instead of 20%) on childrens’ entrance charges to certain visitor attractions. On the IW it is possible that Blackgang Chine and Robin Hill could participate. Members suggested that extra services (duplicates) could be needed if many families took advantage of this scheme.

The IWBRUG ECM will arrange to meet with the IW Council now that the local elections have passed.

The next IWBRUG Public Meeting will be held on 18th July 2026 in Newport Methodist Church.

 

  1. Secretary’s Report (JN)

Most of the road closures affecting bus services at the time of the last meeting have now finished although a few remain in place. The IWC and Island Roads have worked to mitigate the impact on bus services where possible. For example, buses were allowed to run in both directions through 1-way systems at Horsebridge Hill and Elanors Grove recently. Hopefully, this approach will continue and the IWBRUG will raise it with the IW Council.

The Hampshire & Solent Combined County Authority has now been established. However, the mayoral election has been postponed until 2028. The authority is expected to take responsibilities for strategic transport matters on the IW.

 

  1. Members’ questions

Phil Jelly reported that he is continuing to ask Wightlink to change the time of the 21:45 FastCat departure from Portsmouth Harbour to that it connects with both the 19:15 train from London Waterloo and the Island Line train.

Meeting closed at 12:00. Next meeting on 27th June 2026.



IWBRUG MEMBERS MEETING 25th APRIL 2026

Minutes of the meeting held at the Methodist Church Hall, Newport.

In attendance: the following Executive members – Stuart George (SG), Dina Jung (DJ), James Nevell (JN), Chris Biles (CB), John Yunnie (JY) and Rodney Archer (RA) plus 6 ordinary members.

Apologies from Ian Ward, Robert May, John Hibberd and Wendy Cooper.

Meeting opened at 11:15.

 

  1. Chairman’s Report (SG)

The Island Line train services have been affected by reliability issues in recent weeks. This has been attributed to staff availability issues as well as defects with the track and trains. The Island Line manager, Mark Dunn, has still not arranged a liaison meeting with IWBRUG representatives.

The IWBRUG submitted a response to the South Western Railway (SWR) initial consultation on their proposed timetable restructure to be introduced in December 2027. SWR, which includes the Island Line, is now nationalised and overseen by the Department for Transport (DfT). We have asked for a 30-minute interval timetable to be introduced on Island Line. This would give better rail-ferry connections at Ryde Pier Head and a more memorable timetable for passengers at other stations.

The recently introduced electric buses are now in use on route 1 Newport – Cowes. The weight limit on the Hunnyhill bridge over Lukley Brook has been raised to allow its use by the heavier electric buses.

IWBRUG met with Southern Vectis (SV) in April. Possible capacity issues with the electric buses, which have fewer seats than the diesel-powered vehicles they are replacing, were discussed.

A new bus route from Newport to Havenstreet could be introduced. This would need revenue support funding to cover expected operating losses. The IW Council would deliver funding from its Local Authority Bus Grant, which is provided by the DfT.

Next Stop Announcements covering planned route diversions will be provided on buses from September 2026. This is to comply with legal requirements.

SV has no overall policy for maintaining services during major road traffic disruption. The controller at Newport Bus Station has responsibility for maintaining services with the vehicles and drivers available.

The proposed meeting of IWBRUG representatives with the IW Council (IWC) has been postponed until June 2026 to allow for local elections and the formation of a new Council.

 

  1. Secretary’s Report JN

Several major road closures and partial closures with temporary traffic lights have affected IW bus routes in recent months. The IWC and Island Roads have worked to mitigate the impact of some of the closures on bus routes. The recent one-way closures on Horsebridge Hill and Elanors Grove had exemptions for buses, enabling them to serve all stops in both directions. Although some of the closures are long-planned work by Island Roads, some other roads have been closed by utility companies to access their infrastructure. This has affected diverted traffic and disrupted many journeys – not just buses. The IWBRUG should raise this with IWC at the next liaison meeting.

A similar issue is affecting the rail network in southern England. During school holidays the main London – Portsmouth line and other routes to the coast have been closed by Network Rail for track and signalling renewals work. This affects leisure travel to the IW and other south coast areas. Although, it is necessary to avoid affecting commuters, the impact on IW visitors is significant. If this disruption continues into the school summer holidays, the issue will be raised with SWR.

 

  1. Working groups RA

Working groups to discuss the future development of transport within and to the IW are to be arranged.

 

  1. Treasurer’s Report JY

Unfortunately, 9 members did not renew their subscriptions this year. Membership is low at 32, which is disappointing. Some of the former members may have joined at public meetings but subsequently decided not to renew due to financial pressures.

The recent increase in subscription fee to £10 has caused some confusion as only those members who were present at the AGM were aware of the change. As a result, a significant number of members have renewed for the current year by paying the sum of £6 that had been requested in the AGM paperwork. The Treasurer also reported that those members who generously add a donation to their subscription had tended to still give the same overall amount this year which, therefore, resulted in no increase to our funds from that source.

 

  1. Members’ questions

Phil Jelly reported that he had attended a Wightlink Forum meeting, for liaison with customers. He had asked about the timing of the 21:45 ferry from Portsmouth which does not connect with the 19:15 train from London Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour, or with the Island Line train. Unfortunately, Wightlink are unwilling to change this timing due to the need for refuelling the ferry.

Meeting closed at 12:00. Next meeting on 23rd May 2026.

 

 

Minutes of The Isle of Wight Bus and Rail Users Group Annual General Meeting held on the 28th February 2026 in the Methodist Church Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight.

 

In attendance the following Executive Committee members – Stuart George (SG), Robert May (RM), Dina Jung (DJ), James Nevell (JN), Rodney Archer (RA) and 18 ordinary members.

Apologies from John Yunnie, Diana Conyers, Phil Jelly and David Barnard.

Three IW College students of Media Studies recorded the meeting on film to provide material for their course project.

The Chairman (SG) opened the meeting at 11:15.

Items as per agenda.

 

Chaiman’s Report (SG)

  1. The future of the IWBRUG is uncertain due to a declining membership and financial challengers. John Yunnie will resign as Treasurer and Membership Secretary in 2027 and will need to be replaced. More Executive Committee members are needed.

  2. Island Line train services have had reliability problems in recent weeks due to train crew unavailability, track and signalling defects and flooding of the line on Ryde Pier by high tides. The Island Line manager, Mark Dunn, has not arranged a meeting with IWBRUG.

 

  1. Southern Vectis (SV) bus services continue to perform well.

 

  1. SG attended the launch of the new electric buses at SV’s Newport depot on 26th February. This included a ride for guests on an electric bus to Wootton and back. The new buses have fewer seats downstairs because 2 wheelchair/buggy spaces are provided. The headroom upstairs is restricted due to batteries being installed between the decks. Entry into services is scheduled for 15th March.

 

Secretary’s report (JN)

 

  1. As described by SG (above) the Island Line train service has been disrupted due to crew unavailability. This issue occurred during the school half term holidays. It has been noticed that crew unavailability has also occurred during previous school holidays in the past 2 years.

 

Action: SG to ask Mark Dunn about staffing plans to maintain services during school holidays.

 

  1. Roadworks have affected several main bus routes in recent weeks. However, the IW Council, Island Roads and SV have worked together to facilitate buses to run in both directions on Elenors Grove (Wootton) and Horsebridge Hill (Parkhurst). This has enabled almost all stops on routes 1, 4 and 9 to be served in both directions.

 

Financial report (SG)

 

SG distributed a note of the IWBRUG accounts, listing income, expenditure and balance.

 

A vote to accept the accounts note was passed unanimously.

 

SG reported financial challenges, in particular that annual expenditure is exceeding income by a significant margin.

 

RA suggested that the group could consider applying for charitable status.

 

A suggestion from a member that the annual membership fee be raised from £6 to £10, was carried, with only one vote against.

 

Action: the Executive Committee Members will consider implementing proportionate increases for the other membership types.

 

 

Other business (SG)

 

DJ reported that Zoom have changed their terms and conditions of use of their video-conferencing software and now charge for its use. She will try to use Microsoft Teams but this will require al laptop with Microsoft Office software installed.

 

RA suggested that working groups could be set up to consider strategic issues in more depth. These could include options for the future development of the Island Line and a possible campaign for free public transport travel.

 

Meeting closed. The next annual general meeting will be held on 22nd February 2027.

 

 

Members’ meeting.

 

Attendance as listed above.

 

Members’ questions

 

  1. Shanklin Esplanade is not served regularly following a reduction in route 22. Seasonal services are provided in summer. However, travel demand is too low at other times to sustain a commercial service. RM asked if the summer-only Shanklin Shuttle route could be run during the Easter school holidays.

Action: SG to ask Stewart Chandler of the IW Council if Bus Service Improvement Plan revenue support funding could be used to secure this.

 

  1. Sarah Innes asked if a bus route could connect Sandown station with the town centre and sea front. Unfortunately, a service was tried out with revenue support funding from the Community Rail Partnership but was very poorly used. It is therefore unlikely that the IW Council or other funding organisation would consider this possibility.

 

  1. DJ proposed that the IWBRUG express appreciation and support for the introduction of electric buses. However, other members wanted to see how they performed in service and the impacts on passengers. The suggestion was not carried but will be discussed next month.

 

  1. RM expressed concern about potential overcrowding on route 8 between Newport and Robin Hill when events are held at Robin Hill. If the capacity of electric buses is lower than the present vehicles, this could become problematic.

Action: SG to raise with SV and ask if additional services could be run on event days.

 

Meeting closed at 12:30. Next members’ meeting on 28th March 2026 at 11:15.

 

 

 

Minutes of The Isle of Wight Bus and Rail Users Group Public Meeting held on the 24th January 2026 at Newport Methodist Church, Quay Street, Newport.

 

On the platform were:

 

IWBRUG Executive members – Robert May (RM) and James Nevell (JN).

 

Southern Vectis: Richard Tyldesley, General Manager (RT)

 

Island Line/South Western Railway: Mark Dunn (MD). Manager

 

Isle of Wight Council: Stewart Chandler, Transport Department Manager

 

Also attending were IWBRUG Executive members Dina Jung (DJ), John Yunnie (JY) and Chris Biles (CB).

 

39 members of the public attended.

 

Apologies: Stuart George (SG)

 

The meeting was opened by RM at 11:00.

 

 

 

Chairman’s opening address read by RM in the absence of SG

 

  1. A welcome to this IWBRUG Public Meeting. These are normally held twice a year. This meeting is open to everyone who uses buses or trains on the Island.

 

The IWBRUG represents public transport users on the Island. We meet Southern Vectis, Island Line, and the IW Council on a regular basis and, although we don't have any legal powers, we do seek to influence operators and the Council in the interests of passengers.

 

Details of our group and membership are available here. There is no obligation to join the group although the more members we have, the greater our influence. It costs £5 to join the group and, if you would like to, you're invited to talk to any of our committee members. 

 

  1. Introductions to the representatives of IWBRUG, Southern Vectis and Island Line. The format of the meeting is the speakers will outline their news and they should not be interrupted. After they've all spoken, they will be available for questions and comments.

 

 

Richard Tyldesley, Southern Vectis

 

  1. Passenger numbers in 2025 were slightly lower than in 2024. Travel demand tailed off towards the end of last year.

Travel by English National Concessionary Travel Scheme passholders now exceeds that in 2019, pre-covid. However, travel by fare paying passengers is recovering more slowly.

Routes 5 Newport – East Cowes, 6 Newport – Ventnor and 12 Newport – Alum Bay, which have all had service enhancements funded by the IW Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), all showed good growth in passenger numbers.

  1. The summer 2026 timetable will include some minor service changes aimed at improving service punctuality and reliability, but no major changes.

The Downs Breezer service will continue to run every 2 hours.

Unfortunately, the Sea Breezer route, introduced in 2025, did not attract sufficient passengers to become commercially sustainable.

 

  1. More service improvements that could be funded by the BSIP are under consideration.

 

  1. Electric buses are coming. The first vehicles should arrive in 2 weeks’ time. Following this, 8 vehicles a week will be delivered. A total of 22 will be delivered in the first batch, following by another 9 in the second batch. 31 buses will be electric out of a peak vehicle requirement of 48. The bus duties and schedules will change to facilitate vehicle charging but the timetables will stay the same.

 

  1. The electric buses will have 2 wheelchair bays and full audio-visual Next Stop Announcements (NSAs). 2 of Go South Coast staff work only on maintaining the NSA provision.

 

  1. Options to add more electric buses are being considered.

 

  1. Road works are a problem currently and SV are working to mitigate their impact on services.

 

  1. SV is supporting the Hampshire and IW Air Ambulance charity for 2 years. The next SV Community Fund award will be for 3 years.

 

Mark Dunn – Island Line

 

  1. The first week of 2026 was cold and complaints were received from passengers that the train heating was insufficient. The carriage heating units are currently regulated to a maximum touch temperature of 60oC. Modifications are in progress to enable the heaters to emit more heat and raise saloon temperatures on colder days.

 

  1. The Island line will be closed for 1 day on 1st February to enable emergency repair work to be undertaken on Rowborough substation transformer.

 

  1. The Island line will be closed for 2 weeks full closure and a further 2 weeks part closure in November 2026. This is to continue the rail replacement works between Ryde tunnel and Ryde St John’s Road station and to upgrades all 3 power substations. This could lead to potential performance enhancements

 

  1. Passenger journeys continue to increase on Island Line with journeys up 10.1% year on year. 2025-26 is likely to be our best year since covid.

 

  1. Reliability has improved: train cancellations have decreased from 5.8% in 2024 to 2.7% in 2025. Delay minutes are following a similar trend.

 

  1. The 40/40 timetable continues to perform well. Consultation is underway to agree a better service contingency plan to provide an hourly service during disruption due to train crew or rolling stock unavailability. It is hoped to sign this off by April 2026.

 

Stewart Chandler – Isle of Wight Council

  1. The IWC’s fourth Local Transport Plan (LTP4) public consultation received 450 responses. The plan, which covers bus and rail service, will be reviewed to consider these. It is intended to adopt LTP4 in February 2026.

 

  1. Devolutiuon: the Hampshire and Solent Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) will be formed and will be the local transport authority for the IW. However, elections to the MCA have been postponed until 2028.

 

The MCA may have more funding for transport schemes. Further details will be available when it is established.

 

  1. The IWC BSIP was adopted at the end of 2024. It now has a 3-year Government funding settlement. More improvement options are under consideration in partnership with SV.

 

  1. The Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) fund is providing 31 new electric buses this year. A further funding bid for more electric buses is under consideration. The electric buses will improve the fleet across the IW as older diesel buses are cascaded out.

 

  1. The Island Green Link will include public transport improvements on the east-west corridor including

 

    1. Yarmouth interchange transport hub

    2. Improvements to bus stops – hard standing areas, lighting, CCTV

    3. Real time information displays at stops

    4. Audio-visual information displays at Ryde Interchange

    5. Battery powered audio-visual display at Yarmouth interchange

 

  1. Road works have increased since autumn 2025. These are essential for utilities’ resilience. Works have to be carried out in winter to avoid affecting tourist traffic.

A retaining wall will have to be rebuilt at Wroxall, extending the road closure into Easter 2026.

 

  1. The IW Transport Infrastructure Forum includes all bus, rail and ferry operators. It is looking at the travel needs of young persons and NHS staff and patients.

 

  1. The IWC, along with Ventnor Town Council, provides revenue support funding for services on route 31 in Ventnor. The IWC also financially supports the Freshwater Yarmouth Totland (FYT) minibus services.

 

Robert May – questions and comments from the audience

  1. John Yunnie read questions from Mr Nash.

    1. access to a bell button to stop a bus is available from only 1 side of a wheelchair bay

    2. Bus stopping signs are positioned behind the wheelchair bay and not visible from it.

    3. Some bus stops have low kerbs giving a steep angle for wheelchairs.

    4. Not all bus stops have wheelchair access.

    5. Concern at the use of wheelchair ramps by some drivers – letting them down too fast.

RT replied that the bus stopping sign issue should be resolved by the new audio-visual displays. More training will be given to drivers in the use of ramps if needed.

SC replied that the IWC needs to identify the stops that need wheelchair access provision. A programme of stop improvements is being developed. A baseline is being established with standards, including accessibility.

 

  1. Tony Barry, Chairman of Havenstreet and Ashey Parish Council (HPC). Some Havenstreet residents are asking for a bus service to the village. A survey of residents has indicated support for this. Could the IWC’s BSIP funding be used to provide revenue support to deliver a service?

SC replied that revenue support funding for a service to Havenstreet was withdrawn in 2015 and as the service was not commercially sustainable, it was then discontinued. Could HPC develop a route/service proposal? A single deck bus would be needed to fit under the rail bridge. Some on-street parking in the village may need t be removed to enable a bus to pass through. The IWC has not received the survey results.

RT replied that there is some travel demand in Havenstreet but not sufficient to sustain a commercial bus service. However, SV will look at any proposal from HPC and indicate the likely revenue support costs.

 

  1. Mavis from East Cowes. Could some journeys on route 5 Newport – East Cowes run via York Avenue, which is only served hourly by route 4?

RT replied that SV have looked at this with the IWC. However, it could confuse some passengers and there is a fine balance needed to keep services commercially viable.

 

  1. Andrew Price, Prostate Cancer Support Group. IW patients need to travel to Queen Alexandra Hospital (Portsmouth) and Southampton General Hospital for radio therapy treatment. Patients in full time work receive no benefits on Statutory Sick Pay and no support for their travel costs, although some can claim travel costs retrospectively. Could a patients’ bus pass for travel to the ferry terminals be provided?

SC replied that this idea is being considered by the IW Transport Infrastructure Board and the CEO of the local NHS Trust. He asked Mr Price to write to the NHS Trust with these points.

RT replied that the current bus fare cap is £3 and that multi-trip discounts are available. Also Go South Coast, the parent company of SV give discounted travel in Southampton. Information on hospital travel arrangements should be given by the NHS.

 

  1. Vix Lowthian. The cost of taking children to primary school by bus (1 adult and 2 children) is high for a parent on the minimum wage.

RT replied that some travel discounts are available to children and under-19s.

 

SC replied that the IWC is looking at a travel discount scheme for young persons, to be funded by the BSIP programme. However, this funding is not yet in place.

 

  1. Lee Parkes from Ventnor. Bus route diversions are affecting the residents of Upper Ventnor.

RT replied that the area will be served when the road through Wroxall is reopened.

 

 

 

Robert May closed the meeting at 12:30.