The bus, which has been running since 2015, took a southern route out of town, popped into the hospital on its way towards east Castel and Vale, and reached its final destination on the Bridge after nearly 50 minutes on the roads.
But it has never been very popular and has now been sacrificed as part of a new timetable that comes into effect on Monday.
It only ran once every hour. And when the States last analysed the data collected to inform the review of schedule changes, over a four-week period in term time, the best-performing service, the 3pm to town, averaged 17 passengers across the trip.
Its next-most popular services were both heading to the Bridge, at 8am and 5.15pm. But those buses only averaged six and five passengers respectively.
‘Multiple journeys within that period had no passengers using the service, and the rest have an average of less than five per trip. On a Saturday, all bar one trip – the 1pm inbound journey – averaged five passengers or fewer,’ admitted Laura Oxburgh, head of on-island travel and transport implementation at the States.
The P2’s connection to the hospital will now be picked up by reworked 51 and 52 routes, which will also cover some of the stops covered by the P2.
The other service which is set to stop is the two-hourly 60, which passed the hospital on its way to Vazon and then through to the Longfrie before returning via L’Eree and Perelle Bay.
‘All bar two of the journeys within the period analysed had average passenger numbers lower than 10,’ said Ms Oxburgh.
‘Much of this route is covered by other services and slight changes to routes are being introduced to mitigate the impact of removing the 60 service.’
The 61 also had low numbers but it is being revised and maintained as a major westbound and southbound service. The changes have included feedback from the douzaines of the parishes the route runs through.
Ms Oxburgh said that while usage was an important part of considerations on whether a route should be maintained or amended, there were other factors at play in deciding to make changes.
‘When considering the data examined as part of the project, it is important to recognise the need to balance operational efficiency and service punctuality with the provision of comprehensive public transport coverage across the island,’ she said.
‘While some services may experience lower passenger numbers, they continue to play an important role in ensuring that communities remain connected and have access to essential transport links.
‘The consultation exercise and engagement with the western parishes were fundamental to this process, and we are very grateful for the feedback provided by the community. The views shared through these consultations were integral in helping us identify how the network could be improved while maintaining appropriate coverage and delivering a more efficient and cost-effective service for islanders.’
The new timetable comes in on Monday, and will see more frequent buses and a new circular route on routes 51 and 52, better links to the hospital, improved evening provision with more later services on main routes; and a revised and extended night bus network on Fridays and Saturdays. The proposals were worked up by the States and operator Stagecoach, and will not cost the taxpayer any more than the present subsidy. That figure is not publicised, but it is known that passenger income covers only about a quarter of the operating cost of the service.
‘This new schedule delivers a more reliable and punctual service by improving access to key community destinations and giving customers greater confidence that they can depend on public transport to get where they need to be, when they need to be there,’ said Environment & Infrastructure president Deputy Adrian Gabriel.
‘We are confident the changes will offer a service that’s better suited to people’s needs while ensuring they remain deliverable at no net additional cost.’
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