Bus services are set to be reviewed by the Department of Tourism and Leisure.

An 18 month review will start later this month to look at how passengers perceive the service and how it could be improved.

Government departments and the public will be consulted to find out their views, in the hope that the routes and timetables will better suit the needs of the Island.
DTL member Graham Cregeen MHK, who has responsibility for buses and railways, said: 'While we are aware that there are particular areas of our service provision which need to be addressed, seeking the views and opinions of existing and potential bus users forms the vital first stage of a comprehensive review of bus services in the Island.

'Following on from this we will be engaging with as many organisations and individuals from all sectors across the Isle of Man community so that collectively we can shape the future provision of bus services.'

Acting head of bus services David Kinrade said areas which had already been identified by the department as needing improving were the service to Noble's Hospital, and connectivity between buses and other modes of transport, such as Isle of Man Airport and the Sea Terminal.

'We know some of the issues but we don't know all of them,' he said.

A new ticketing system is one improvement which is already being introduced. It reduces the time it takes to buy a ticket as well as providing information on passenger numbers and journeys.

It will eventually use smartcard technology, reducing the number of cash transactions.

An average of 4.5m bus journeys are made every year, and buses run 364 days a year.