Ramsey Buses Smash It, Douglas…Not So Much

The island’s most (and least) punctual bus routes have been revealed, and let’s just say, if you want to get anywhere on time, head north.

Infrastructure Minister Dr Michelle Haywood released the figures after Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse asked for the five best-performing and five worst-performing routes between June and September 2025. And the results?

Ramsey is basically the Switzerland of island public transport: calm, efficient and apparently immune to the chaos the rest of us endure.

Every single one of the top five most punctual routes is based in the Ramsey area.

The champions include the 16d, 16, 18a, 19 and 20, all quiet, rural loops where sheep outnumber traffic jams.

Dr Haywood said their success comes down to ‘infrequent service patterns, shorter route lengths and rural areas with lower traffic volumes’.

Basically: the buses glide around.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale… Douglas is having a shocker.

The five least punctual routes, the 11arm, 11, 12a, 22h and the famously unpredictable 3, all involve navigating the island’s capital, its surrounding suburbs or the never-ending Willaston congestion.

Add roadworks, peak-time crowds and enough brake lights to cause eye strain, and you’ve got yourself an impressive collection of delays.

Dr Haywood said the ‘high traffic volumes’ and ‘ongoing roadworks’ were to blame, but anyone who has tried to get through Douglas at 5pm already knew that.