Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely says he wants to see through-tickets introduced at Isle of Wight ferry terminals to make onward travel easier for commuters.
Mr Seely said following calls from several Islanders who wanted to see a combined ferry and rail ticket available at Wightlink terminals, he contacted Wightlink’s Chief Executive Officer, Keith Greenfield, asking him to consider installing new ticket machines to enable seamless journeys for ferry and rail passengers.
Wightlink welcomed the suggestion and agreed to allocate capital funds to pay for the machines at their Ryde and Yarmouth terminals.
However, plans hit a wall due to apparent red tape at the Department for Transport preventing the ferry operator from installing the new machines, which has led to both Wightlink’s CEO and the Island’s MP escalating the issue further within the Department for Transport.
Mr Seely said:
“I am aware that Islanders are keen to be able to purchase through-tickets at ferry terminals for onward rail journeys. As a regular commuter myself, I understand the desire for this.
“I raised the issue with Wightlink’s Chief Executive, Keith Greenfield, who said he was keen to provide ticket machines at Ryde and Yarmouth terminals to enable this.
“Unfortunately, there apparently is red tape within the DfT preventing this from happening, which is very frustrating.
Article continues below this advertisement “I have raised the issue with the Secretary of State, Grant Shapps, to see what can be done.”
Mr Greenfield said:
“Wightlink will continue to push for rail ticket machines at Ryde and Yarmouth as soon as possible”.
If it does happen I hope they will take cash as well as card.
Not a chance
You can buy a combined ferry/rail ticket online through SWR (at least from the mainland to Ryde – I assume it would work the other way) and download it to your phone until the Civil Servants get their fingers out.
Got a finger in that Pie too bob?
What needs sorting is cashless payments only, if you do not have a bank account you can no longer travel on and off the Island, so again a private company takes a little bit more control and nobody cares.
Instead of new machines how about opening the ticket offices for longer and having both positions in use in stead of just one
As I have already said, read the news ALL booking offices are due to closed down soon and replaced with machines
Or even one at Yarmouth would be nice
All part of going digital
Funny how this irrelevant man keeps making these suggestions (or leaping on the bandwagon) when they affect his personal convenience.
Just build a tunnel… save all the problems…
Quite agree, tunnel is NEEDED
I feel sorry for the people that do not want a tunnel, they are so selfish and ignorant of other peoples needs… It is 2023, not 1823.. why should the ferry companies rule when and where we can cross the Solent… and then get charged extreme prices… A tunnel would mean so much for this Island. More Doctors, Dentists, better shops more jobs…. if they do not build a tunnel… where are your kids going to work ? At a take away, maybe Tesco, beep beep… let others have a life..
It’s got nothing to do with that stupid are roads would not handle that amount of traffic only a rail line would be ok ,if people have to travel all the time to the mainland then this is not the place for you get over it
Another cheap headline grab by half a sausage. Again he did almost nothing for it.
Oh yes. And he backed Penny Whatsherface for PM. She’s no longer in the race.
Seems like you’ve got your finger on the pulse bob.
You can buy them from Ryde Esplanade ticket office or the self service machine just outside or online – this is a non issue.
Yes but not at Yarmouth
It’ll make it easier for him to claim his expenses wont it? Streamline the money grab. It’s just a pity they aren’t considering a through ticket with an add on lunch option. Then he could really have his cake and eat it. Or sausage.
If only the service and the coordination of timing between the train and ferry on each side were “seamless”!
Yes he does not mention that the ferry does not often meet with the train….
If only they could guarantee they would all work and run to timetable, what’s the point of purchasing a, ticket when it’s a 50/50 chance only half the journey is doable? Sort that out “seldom seen”
Mr Seely omits to mention that through-ticketing on the whole network was killed upon privatisation, since every operator now wants to maximise its own revenue whereas previously there was only one operator so it didn’t matter who sold the ticket. This brilliant simplfication was the brainchild of … you guessed it, a Tory government!
How long before they think it’s a good idea to undo Brexit?
But you can already purchase through tickets (via the catamaran or Hover) on trains, stations (machines or ticket office) and at the Hoverport.
Had a problem the other day. I was buying the train ticket for someone else to travel. For some unknown reason this time it was not possible to get the train ticket sent to their phone (previously have done so) and the only option was to collect from Lymington ticket machine BUT you have to insert the card used for payment into the machine to get your tickets – so we were not able to buy the tickets as it was my card and I was not travelling.
Good, why not make it simple and make everyone and everybody pay by CASH.
It has worked for thousands of years.
Big brother is watching you.
Happily, the only ticket Bob will be seeing in the near future is a P45.
Whereas nobody is keen to see Bob lol.
Oh what a great idea says Bob creep creep ,,, to think this was a minesweeping idea is so much behind the times
combined tickets are everywhere for all sorts of traveling etc etc
What is he going on about, it’s like he spins a sausage and decides which bandwagon to jump on next. When will he ever come out with a fresh idea for the island, Oh I know, never. Vote him out next time for gods sake.
Ohh a fresh idea… Build a Tunnel !!!
For as long as I can remember, coming to visit before moving here, me and Our Eddie would chuckle to ourselves about buying a ‘Ticket to Ryde’. In fact, we’d buy a ticket to Shanklin, from Waterloo and this included the ferry.
Now, last I checked, it’s still possible to to do that, not just on the route with a train line on either side, but to between Southampton and East & West Cowes and between Lymington and Yarmouth. The availability of ticket machines at which to buy train tickets isn’t really that high on folks priorities, considering there are so few crossings still on which to make a journey however it is booked.