Pioneering plans to trial dial-a-ride services on little-used bus routes in the island have been given the go-ahead, despite objections from cabbies.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer announced in November that the scheme would be trialled in the north of the island.

But in May he told Tynwald that the trial had been delayed as the Road Transport Licensing Committee had yet to give approval.

It has since emerged the taxi firms had objected to the proposals and mounted a legal challenge on the grounds that it would be unfair competition.

The nationalised Bus Vannin service submitted licence applications to the RTLC in August last year for the operation of minibuses for ’hire and reward’.

The applications covered both patient transfer services and dial-a-ride.

At its latest meeting, the RTLC approved the dial-a-ride licence on a 12-month trial but it deferred a decision on the patient transfer service.

Bus Vannin’s plan is to convert some lightly used scheduled bus routes to Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), similar to dial-a-ride services which have operated elsewhere, with varying degrees of success, including London.

In a report on Bus Vannin by consultants the TAS Partnership carried out as part of the government’s SAVE group, it was claimed the RTLC had refused to issue any minibus driving licences following objections from the taxi and private hire trade.

The consultants said they understood the concern of the taxi operators but deemed that the RTLC’s ’blocking’ of an application by another state body was ’unreasonable’.

RTLC chairman Brendan O’Friel said he would raising concerns with the Department of Infrastructure about inaccuracies in the consultants’ report.

He said the main reason for the delay in approving the application was because such a service has never been attempted before in the island.

Under DRT, the service does not run to a dedicated timetable as such.

Each minibus journey would only run if passengers have booked in advance either by phone or on-line.

Subsequent requests for travel will be directed either to and existing journey or a new one will be set up, depending on demand. People waiting at bus stops would be picked up along the way.

During the 12-month trial, minibus be able to use any suitable road north of the A3 between Kirk Michael and the Ramsey town border, including all of the town of Ramsey and Maughold parish.

Intended hours of operation will be 5am to 11pm Monday to Saturday. The service will not run on Sundays or Bank Holidays.

Transport bosses believe that DRT could be used to improve service to places such as Jurby.

The application to the RTLC noted that dial-a-ride may result in some reduction in the provision of regularly timetabled bus services during off-peak times but school journeys will remain.

The RTLC deferred a decision on Bus Vannin’s second application, for a patient transfer service.

Once again, minibuses would be booked in advance and would collect patients from anywhere in the island to take them to Ronaldsway or the Sea Terminal to catch the first flight or ferry out. They will also connect with return flights at the end of the day.

drivers

Bus Vannin has 28 minibuses used by in-house drivers but only has sufficient drivers to drive 22 of them, the TAS Partnership report reveals.

The vehicles are used for a wide variety of services including scheduled school services, ad-hoc school private hire, transport to day centres and hospital transfers.