A frequent passenger on the Isle of Man Steam Railway has been presented with a special travel card.

Sophie the Dog, who travels regularly with her owner Jerry Edge on trains to Castletown from their home in Colby, gave the Go card a woof of approval.

A single dog fare on the heritage railways is 30p but, following a suggestion from Mr Edge, passengers can purchase a year-long cardboard pass for their dogs, costing ?5 each. Sophie, however, has a one-off Go smart card bearing her photo.

Daphne Caine, Customer Services Officer, said: ‘We welcome customer feedback and regularly review our services and ticket portfolio. We are phasing in Go cards to mirror our previous money saving options available to customers but the new Go Platinum Rail Dog cards have proved popular this season. Isle of Man Transport will consider introducing a smart card version next year if the demand continues. We are also considering launching a Go Platinum Dog Bus annual card.’

Anyone who wishes to express their interest in these new annual products or give any feedback on Isle of Man Transport’s bus and rail services can email publictransport@gov.im. 

Photo caption: Jo McGlynn from Isle of Man Transport presenting Jerry Edge and Sophie with the one-off Go smart card.