Islanders wanting to travel by coach on the mainland can look forward to cut-price deals thanks to Alex Warner, managing director of Greyhound Coaches in the UK.
Greyhound Coaches
When Mr. Warner brought one of the famous Greyhound Coaches to the Island he reckoned he was overwhelmed by the response he received, and now he says he has a real passion for the place.
And in return he has launched a deal that will give Island residents a special offer if they travel on Greyhound Coaches from Southampton or Portsmouth to London.
He said: “If people on the Island use Wightlink they can register details and use promo code ‘Wight saver’. Or if they travel by Red Funnel they can use promotion code ‘red25’. Both will entitle them to a 25 per cent discount.”
Mr Warner says he is happy to work with Southern Vectis Travel Co, and is keen to discuss opportunities with other Island transport services for future integrated transport services.
There are plans to run links from Ventnor, Sandown, Newport, Ryde and Fishbourne so anyone travelling across the Solent on passenger ferries can be picked up at either of the mainland terminals. He said: “the ultimate aim is to be able to get a ticket from say Ventnor straight to London with no nonsense - the ‘golden ticket’.”
He continued: “I think people were very pleased we brought the coach over to the island and they seemed heartened by the fact we have tried to unlock potential on the island for Greyhound coaches.
“There is potential out there and if we work hard at driving up support within the community and local businesses and offer a good integrated service then the world is our oyster.”
And he has promised we will be seeing more of Greyhound on the Island in the next few weeks. He said: “We will be over on the Island promoting deals and offers.
“You will see Greyhound coaches outside the Isle of Wight College, and we will be handing out leaflets in nightclubs and bars, to show reduced travel costs to London.”
Mr Warner believes it is very important to be ‘hands on’ with customers. He has his email on the website and attempts to answer any queries that customers may have. He smiled: “You can’t switch off in the transport business; it’s a 24 hour job.”
He takes pride in sharing his mobile telephone number with customers and says: “I have customers ringing me all the time. I also receive and read emails from customers regularly. It’s all about customer service.
Mr Warner further adds the personal touch be saying: “If there is a delay with the coaches, we strive to give customers great service by buying them sandwiches and crisps and drink, to keep them happy. We will do whatever possible if there is a delay to keep the customer as happy and comfortable as possible.
“At the moment we do not have refreshments on the coaches as we want to keep the fares as low as possible, but it is something that will be looked into. One customer has suggested Greyhound bottled water and this is something we will certainty look into for the summer, as well as having ipod chargers on the coaches. We welcome any suggestions.”
The company are already looking at better connections with ferries, with coaches going right up to the ferry terminal in Portsmouth.
Greyhound run 44 services on Friday and Saturday and 40 services from Sunday to Thursday, with the first coach is 5.10am from Southampton and the first one from Portsmouth at 5.45am. On Fridays and Saturdays they return as late as 11.30pm from London.
More details are on internet link www.greyhounduk.com. People can also purchase tickets on the coaches but can only pay by credit or debit cards and not take cash.
