Bus Vannin has applied for dial-a-ride minibus services to be extended to two other parts of the island.

ConnectVillages currently operates under a temporary licence, linking Ramsey to communities in the north of the island.

An investigation is being carried out by the Office of Fair Trading into claims that the state-funded operation is competing unfairly with the taxi trade.

But now Bus Vannin has applied to the Road Transport Licensing Committee to extend so-called ’demand responsive transport’ to the west of the island and between Braddan and Castletown. This is despite the OFT having yet to report back on its investigation findings.

Campaigner Barry Murphy said: ’I have expressed my disappointment to the RTLC and the OFT that these applications are advertised before the OFT investigation into dial-a-ride is complete and findings are published.

’Bus Vannin are still operating on a temporary one-year licence for dial-a-ride that expired approximately 2019 and was never reheard.’

RTLC secretary Noel Capewell said the new applications would likely be deferred pending a decision by the OFT but no decision by the committee has yet been made.

The first proposed new dial-a-ride service will link Patrick, Glen Maye, Niarbyl, St John’s and Peel and will include the Patrick Road.

Each journey has to be booked in advance although minibuses can pick up passengers waiting at bus stops along the way.

The second proposed new service will run between the Isle of Man Business Park, Braaid, St John’s, St Mark’s, Foxdale, Ballasalla and Castletown.

It will include Cross Four Ways and the airport.

Bus Vannin is also proposing changes to some scheduled bus services.

These include replacing timetabled Sunday services between Ramsey and Maughold, Jurby, Andreas and Bride with ConnectVillages minibuses.

Bus Vannin is also proposing to have hubs at Patrick and Peel to connect with the proposed demand responsive service between Peel and Niarbyl during Mondays to Fridays at off-peak hours.

ConnectVillages was launched as a 12-month trial in December 2018, with pre-booked minibuses replacing some scheduled bus services in the north of the island.

There have been claims that cuts to timetabled bus services have left communities such as Jurby cut off.

But supporters say the door-to-door service has proved popular with some.

Bus Vannin had sought a regular service licence for ConnectVillages that will cover the whole of Kirk Michael, all areas north of the A3 road between Kirk Michael and Ramsey, and all of the town of Ramsey and Maughold parish.

This was to replace the temporary licence it was given to operate the 12-month trial.

But its application to the Road Transport Licensing Committee was put on hold pending the outcome of the OFT investigation.

Mr Capewell at the RTLC said the original 12-month licence remains valid as Bus Vannin had applied for a regular service licence before the temporary one had expired.

Bank’s Circus took delivery of 11 new minibuses before Christmas.

They joined a fleet of 67 Mercedes Sprinters, 12 of which are equipped for ConnectVillages services.

Bus Vannin spent just under £2m on new minibuses between 2015-16 and 2019-20.

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