The government has confirmed that it is temporarily suspending competition law to allow ferry operators on the Isle of Wight to work together and maintain a crucial lifeline between the island and the mainland during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The COVID-19 outbreak has significantly reduced demand for the day-to-day services provided by Hovertravel, Wightlink and Red Funnel. Possible staff absences due to self-isolation and illness are also likely to pose a challenge to keeping these essential ferry services going.
The relaxation of rules under the Competition Act 1998 will help ferry operators to continue to run essential services despite reduced usage during the virus, maintaining a vital route for those who cannot work from home and those needing medical treatment.
It will also mean the operators can work together to allow for essential food, freight and medical supplies to be transported between the Isle of Wight and the mainland.
The operators will now be able to discuss and agree routes and coordinate staff resourcing to ensure that ferries will still run regularly across the Solent, delivering a critical service on which Isle of Wight residents depend.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said:
“Ferry operators provide an absolutely vital service to the Isle of Wight, and it is more important now than ever that this crucial lifeline is kept open.
“Our plans to temporarily suspend competition law will allow cooperation between the operators to ensure that essential food, freight and medical supplies can get to the island during these unprecedented times”.
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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
“By taking action today, we are helping ensure people, goods and services can continue to move freely between the Isle of Wight and the mainland.
“These routes remain fundamental to people’s everyday lives and this action underlines the government’s commitment to support transport operators providing vital services at this difficult time”.
Bob Seely MP has said:
“This is very welcome news and the result of about two weeks of pushing the government. I would like the thank the ferry companies and the Isle of Wight Transport Infrastructure Board for working with me to make this happen.
“I would like to reassure Islanders that the relaxation of rules under the Competition Act 1998 is to ensure resilience, to protect Islanders and to keep the Island supplied with essential goods.
“This is about essential travel only, this is not about transporting holiday makers to and from the Island.
“We can now make sure we are ready to protect Islanders in case there are outbreaks of this illness between ferry staff.”
The Competition Act 1998 prohibits certain types of anti-competitive behaviour, including collusion and cartels. This covers agreements between businesses that prevent, restrict or distort competition. This can, for example, include price-fixing, sharing pricing information and sharing markets.
Can we assume that non-essential travellers will be turned away and refused passage?
petition to stop Restrict all non essential travel on All Isle of Wight ferry and Hovertravel .Freight only travel on all car ferries
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/travel-restrictions-on-isle-of-wight-ferries
Totally agree. Since there is now CV on the island we should also not be allowed to travel to the mainland. If islanders work on the mainland perhaps they should remain on the mainland and vv.