Up to half of paying adults will not benefit from the cap on bus fares, which is being introduced next week.

Figures have been released by Infrastructure Minister Chris Thomas after a question from David Ashford MHK.

Mr Ashford asked how many fare playing journeys had taken place in the last three years, where the journey started and ended within Onchan and Douglas and what percentage of the total fare paying journey these were?

In his response, Mr Thomas said that the software used for the island’s buses limits the level of detail that can be ascertained from the data.

The minister said the last three financial years, the ‘inner urban fares account for about 50% of adult tickets issued and 20% of all passengers carried’.
As a result of these fares, people living in these areas will not benefit from the cap to bus prices when they use the bus to get to work.

He said: ‘Because of the limitations with the analysis of data from Ticketer, the Department has used calculations based upon the fares of 60p, 70p, £1.10 and £1.30 which apply for all travel in Douglas and Onchan, to determine which fare paying journeys have taken place across the Island, and has provided the figures, in each of the last three years, as below:

2019/20 712,985 (total passenger numbers 3,495,274)

2020/21 429,819 (total passenger numbers 2,080,954)

2021/22 642,876 (total passenger numbers 3,039,987)

When the scheme was introduced, there were calls, including from DoI member Tim Glover, for the island’s buses to be made free to use.