FAQs
FAQs
Please see the information below for our frequently asked questions. If you cannot find what you are looking for please call our Enquiry Office during office hours on 01481 700456.
CATCHING MY BUS
Please be at your stop at least 5 minutes before departure. Stand by the kerb area where the bus sign is printed or by the pole where the route flag is. Watch and signal for your bus as it approaches, raising you hand is best for this.
When you signal for your bus hold out a lit mobile phone screen as an extra help in the dark. If not use the back of your puffinpass. If using a torch only ever light the space where you are waiting and signalling. Torches, including those on mobile phones, must not be directed towards traffic.
Buses can pick up and disembark passengers at safe established bus stops. These may be at bus shelters, where there is a bus route and destination flag, or where there is ‘bus’ painted on the side of the road. Please call 700456 for more information about where your nearest bus stop might be.
ONLINE SHOP AND TOP-UP
We are currently using the fastest system available for online top up, to smart card use on bus in Great Britain. In London, if you top up your Oyster card online, and use it first on a bus, it takes up to 48 hours for it to be topped up, unlike when you use it on the tube, as the systems are built into the infrastructure in each station, so it activates the ‘online’ top-up straight away when you first tap in. You will find that it mostly takes about 24-48 hours for the puffinpass balance to be reflected on the card when topping up online. However, to be on the safe side, we do advise to allow up to 48 hours.
As you present your pass to the reader, a ticket will be printed out of the machine, and this will tell you how many journeys you have left on your card. Alternatively you can check your balance at the Town Terminus Shop. Please note that until the card is first used ‘on-bus’, the balance will not be visible but you can always call us if you need to check on (01481) 700456.
FARES
Lost cards should be reported immediately to the Customer Service team by calling 700456 or visiting the Town Terminus Shop. When registered, the Town Terminus Shop team can often transfer the credit balance (if it is greater then £5 or one week of unlimited travel) from one card to another. You may need to be there in person for a transfer of credit to be enacted.
Lost student puffinpass cards should be reported immediately to the Customer Service team by calling 700456 or visiting the Town Terminus Shop. Please note that replacement cards can take a few days to issue. Those losing their cards may need to arrange other travel or use a Pay-As-You-Go pass while they wait for their replacement card to be replaced. The charge for replacement cards is £3.
The Town Terminus Shop sell the full range of puffinpasses. The Airport and Tourist Information Centre sells Pay-As-You-Go puffinpasses, starting from £9. All these outlets are able to take cash as well as card and contactless payments. Buses often have Pay-As-You-Go puffinpasses as well as day passes. Payments for these cards on the bus are done with debit and credit cards that are able to tap on the reader. Buses are not able to take cash payments.
Pay As You Go, Unlimited and Student puffinpass: When you board the bus, rest the card on the blue card reader on the ticket machine. The green light will flash quickly a few times, and then turn a static green. Student puffinpass application and information are not stored in the online shop. Applications for Student puffinpass can be done through the Town Terminus Shop. Pay As You Go puffinpass: Daytime fares are 75p. Nightbus fares are £5. The pass reader will automatically take the correct fare according to the time of boarding the bus.
WORKING WITH CT PLUS
Guernsey is one of the Channel Islands, just off the French coast. The island is a British Crown Dependency which means that the language is English, the currency is the Pound and we drive on the left but we are not a part of the UK or the EU. Many road names are in French.
CT Plus Guernsey has been contracted by the island’s government (locally known as The States of Guernsey) to operate the island’s bus services since April 2012. We currently operate 24 scheduled routes and a variety of school services, alongside a varied range of special services throughout the course of every year.
Our services start at 0500hrs and end at just after 2200hrs each weekday. Services start slightly later and finish slightly earlier on Sundays. On Bank Holidays, we run a full Sunday service. We also operate a number of late services (until around 0100hrs) on Friday and Saturday nights; these are carried out by a team of drivers on a dedicated roster.
Our principal fleet comprises of Wrightbus Streetvibe’s.
20 days paid holiday plus bank holidays to be taken by agreement. It will not always be possible to approve holidays at popular times such as Christmas.
Yes – we will provide uniforms (except shoes) which you will be expected to wear. You will complete a uniform request on your first day but until you have received your uniform, you will be expected to present yourself for work in appropriate attire. This will consist of a shirt / blouse, navy trousers / skirt and smart shoes. There are fines imposed by the States of Guernsey for anyone not wearing uniform of £50 per occurrence and these will be passed on to employees.
No – this is your responsibility. There are frequent flights from Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Bristol and Exeter. There is also a frequent ferry service from Portsmouth and Poole. Other flights are available during the summer season. Please check the Guernsey Airport website.
You will be guaranteed a minimum of 40 hours work and since there is no restriction on working hours on Guernsey there will be opportunity for overtime and rest day working subject to our judgement of safe limits which are in line with UK domestic hours.
You will need to apply for a PSV Permit (issued by The States of Guernsey) and pass an Enhanced DBS check in order to be eligible for work as PCV driver on Guernsey. Initially, you will not need to exchange your driving licence. The States of Guernsey allow drivers to retain their original licences for a period of 12 months from their arrival. If you intend to stay any longer than this period, then you will be legally required to submit your driving licence for exchange to one issued by The States of Guernsey. Upon your arrival, CT plus Guernsey will assist you in applying for your PSV Permit and will arrange the paperwork for an Enhanced DBS Check to be carried out.
You will need an Enhanced DBS check in order for you to be able to drive a bus on the island. The cost of the initial check will be paid for by the Company but you will be required to subscribe to the electronic renewal service. The electronic renewal service currently costs around £13 per year and you will be responsible for meeting this ongoing cost.
You can bring your immediate family with you, however you would have to go on a 5 year licence – Medium term (which the company provides and pays for). If you do choose to bring any immediate family to the island you would have to find your own accommodation in an Open or Local Market property. If you then decided to leave Guernsey before the 5 year period (e.g. after 1 year) you would have to pay back the remaining 4 years for that permit. You would be asked to sign a financial recovery agreement on arrival.
No – if you are ill you will need to pay the Doctor or Dentist.
Guernsey has a lot of cars in a small space so it can be very busy. Roads are narrow and many are lined with stone walls so careful driving is very important. Guernsey also has FILTER IN TURN at certain junctions, for UK drivers these look like Yellow Box Junctions, it is very important that you familiarise yourself with how these FILTERS work. Buses are limited to 25mph and other traffic is restricted to 25 – 35mph.
If you are coming to the island alone, we will find you a place in a shared staff house which will cost you between £154.68 and £165.72 per week.
Generally speaking you will be able to work for up to three years or in a pattern of nine months on and three months off. The pattern arrangement is unlimited provided the employee is off island for three months each year. You will need to apply for a “Right to Work” document – we will arrange this for you.
Drivers will be paid a training rate of £12.50 per hour during route training. For an experienced PCV Holder arriving onto Guernsey, we would expect training to take 2-3 weeks. We understand that everyone is different and you will be given as much or as little training as you require, until you are fully comfortable to be operate on your own, however the training officer will need to sign you off on each route before you can go out on your own. This training will involve familiarisation with the local geography, vehicle type training, route training and ticket machine training. Following on from this training, experienced drivers will be paid at £16.25 per hour on Rate 1 (all work before 18:30hrs Mon-Sat) and £19.50 per hour on Rate 2 (all work after 18:30hrs and all day Sunday). If you work any of your Rest days this will be paid at the enhanced rate of £18.00 per hour.
ABOUT CT PLUS
CT Plus has been operating the island’s public bus service since 2012, continuing to grow the island coverage and introducing the Friday and Saturday nightbus. Your CT Plus service is delivered by Tower Transit UK under contract to, and in partnership with the Environment and Infrastructure Department for the States of Guernsey. The puffinpass and its associated products has enabled and given affordable travel to commuters, students, visitors and all those wanting to get out and about in Guernsey. A modern fleet of buses serves a network of 24 routes that can take you to almost any point on the island. We run 7 days a week, 362 days a year from the main bus terminus in St Peter Port. This hub is also supported by the Bus Information Shop, open seven days a week. Approximately 750 bus stops are placed around the island with a growing number including a bus shelter. This along with a Live Tracker to pinpoint your bus in real time makes catching a bus even easier. All buses are low-floor and fully accessible for wheelchair users, pushchairs and some smaller mobility scooters. Ask us about the Accessibility Card that can also help during the boarding of the bus. We wish all our bus passengers a wonderful journey as they celebrate Guernsey with us and discover it’s better by bus.
PAY-AS-YOU-GO CARD IS EXPIRED
Simply take your expired card to the Town Terminus Shop and the team will replace it with a new card, transferring any credit to the new card.
The pay-as-you-go puffinpasses were set with an expiry date of five years. If your pay-as-you-go puffinpass is expired, please visit the Town Terminus Shop where remaining credit can be transferred to a new card. There is no charge for the replacement of an expired card. When introduced in 2018 the pay-as-you-card puffinpass was purchased for £15 and loaded with £15 worth of credit on it. Initially the pay-as-you-go-product was envisaged for short term use. The unlimited weekly and monthy puffinpasses are set at 15 years. The States of Guernsey has agreed that new pay-as-you-go cards introduced can be set as 15 years, the same as the unlimited product. These extended 15 year pay-as-you-cards will be available as soon as possible. A recently expired pay-as-you-go card can still be used on the buses for a short time, whilst you arrange a new card at the Town Terminus Shop. There is no charge for the replacement of an expired card. If you need further information, we are here to help. Please call 700456.
NIBS Buses Mobile App
The NIBS Buses mobile app allows you to purchase and validate bus tickets on our buses. You can also search for particular stops and check scheduled departure times for your route.
Mobile Tickets
Bus Stops
Journey Info
NIBS Buses Mobile App
The NIBS mobile app allows you to purchase and validate bus tickets on our buses. You can also search for particular stops and check scheduled departure times for your route.
Mobile Tickets
Bus Stops
Journey Info
