Bus service to southern beauty spot scrapped

The number 28 route has transported passengers between Port Erin and the Sound in the past

A bus route allowing access to a beauty spot in the south of the Isle of Man will not run in 2024, the infrastructure minister has confirmed.

Tim Crookall said the journey between Port Erin and the Sound was “not part of the core bus network”.

He faced criticism for the scrapping the Bus Vannin link that previously enabled residents and visitors to access Cregneash Folk Village and the Sound Cafe.

However, Mr Crookall said while it had previously been run as a “tourist offering” for a limited period during the summer, financial constraints meant it was not “financially viable”.

Mr Crookall said 929 passengers had used the weekday-only 2023 service compared to 3,202 who took advantage of the six-day service run in 2019.

Only 28% of the passengers who used the service last year had been fare-paying, with the rest travelling on pre-paid or concessionary cards, he said.

He said the daily cost of running the route was in excess of £220 against the £33 in revenue taken each day.

'Figures don't stack up'

Juan Watterson SHK asked whether interested parties had been asked for their views before the decision was taken, and Tim Glover MHK questioned why there was not a "joined-up approach" to encourage visitors.

"The Sound is one of the most well-advertised, well-pictured attractions that we sell our Isle of Man on and you can’t get there,” he added.

Mr Crookall said discussions had been held with several stakeholders, including the Visit Isle of Man agency, but despite “the best efforts by all”, funding for the route could not be found because “the figures don’t stack up”.

He said he hoped the current bus review would make it possible to "provide something in that area" as it was "a very well visited area and we need to make it more visited".