Cross-Solent travel operator, Wightlink has announced that they will be running later foot passenger services between Portsmouth and Ryde in December, but only as a trial on 3 select dates.
A petition asking the ferry company to bring back later FastCat sailings has been doing the rounds since October and it seems as if the large response to it has caused some form of change, albeit a temporary one.
Started by local parish councillor Harriet Hadfield and addressed to Keith Greenfield, CEO of Wightlink, the change.org petition has over 5,400 signatures.
Instead of the Wight Ryder vessels though, the service will be undertaken by Blue Funnel’s catamaran. The temporary timetable is below.
On Friday 9th, Saturday 10th, Friday 16th, Saturday 17th, Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd there will be a 21:20 and 22:45 from Portsmouth – Ryde with the latest boat departing Ryde to be at 22:00.
Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield has said:
“If these sailings prove popular with customers, we will consider later sailings at other times of the year on this route.”
As these services are to be operated by Blue Funnel catamarans, customers should book in advance through the Wightlink App or www.wightlink.co.uk
petition has over 5,400 signatures
not sure who they are trying to kid – I remember regularly travelling on the 21.20 out of Portsmouth Harbour to the Pier head pre Covid and at best there were 50 people on it on any given day.
this means over 5300 people have signed a petition for something they never, ever use, however, when they do travel on boats earlier in the day, they will most likely face higher ticket prices in the future, to compensate for wightlink running boats at a loss, with all the associated staffing costs.
I don’t know quite what you’re trying to say here. I would have thought that if up to 50 people needed a ferry at that time then it’s something which should obviously be provided for, even if it makes a loss. They make enough on the other ferry crossings to more than compensate for a few crossings which don’t provide big profits.
Out of interest, you say you were a regular user pre covid? What service do you use now and what would you suggest the other 49 people do to get back home in the evening?
wightlink are a “for profit” enterprise -running services at a loss is not good business and carrying on with policies like that only end up in one place – the business graveyard. Do other businesses in town stay open later, when they don’t have enough revenue generating customers to cover costs – no they don’t, they close up for the night.
I simply adjusted my working hours to ensure that I could be on the 2020 cat or started later and used the car ferry – not really an issue – unlike others, I do not fall into a crying heap of whining, when a business puts out its new service schedule, that doesn’t suit their agenda and plus the fact, I accept that arranging your hours around a ferry service is part of IOW life
They won’t run anyway, staff shortages…..
they cannot run the cats even for a trial – you will note that it is not the fastcat or wightlink staff running the late services, it is the blue funnel catamaran, who are being chartered by wightlink to do it.
this is because getting wightlink staff to work later would mean engaging with the unions to change contracted hours or employ another shift on more pay, for the later hours and that is never going to happen, as they would be on strike, the moment the management tried to force anything. Wightlink is heavily unionised.
Hi,
What a ridiculous post.Trains and buses run a regular service and do not cancel their timetables because there are fewer passengers at a particular time.That’s part of the franchise.We went to see a show at Portsmouth Guildhall on a Friday night and ended up having to book a hotel for the night even though it finished before 10pm.The profits they make from the summer tourists and festival etc… hiking up the prices,should be more than enough to at least subsidise some weekend late ferries for islanders.
Wightlink are not part of a franchise. They are a wholly private enterprise and can run their services as they wish. They clearly have no interest in internally subsidising loss-making crossings and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
Southern Vectis are also a private enterprise and can also run whatever services they wish. The only reason they run unprofitable routes is because they are subsidised by the Council. Expect many of those routes to disappear as subsidies dry up in the light of the current financial crisis.
Only Train Operating Companies have any kind of public service obligation as part of their franchise arrangements.
That’s the trouble of ‘allowing’ public services to be run by private companies for profit…
it’s never about providing a service & always about making profit
unfortunately, as long as the Great British public keep voting the conservatives into power,, the Thatcherite policy that everything shoud be market driven (& therefore not done, if there is no profit to be made) will prevail, & nothing (whether Transport, Utilites, Energy,..or the NHS if they get their way) will be done for the benefit of the public,.. only for the benefit of the shareholders… 🙁
it is not a public service – it is a private business
perhaps the “public” would like to step up and pay to run these operations, or perhaps agree to much higher taxes to cover the cost of publicly running them – thought not.
It WAS a publicly owned, public service, (Sealink) until 1984 when the Thatcher Government sold it to Sea Containers for £66 million.
It’s been a private for-profit enterprise ever since.
So orac is correct. A public service flogged off for a quick buck by the Tories.
It does not matter who is in Government, Tories, green yellow whatever… it wont change. This Island needs a TUNNEL across to mainland , to give people the FREEDOM of travel, at times of their own choosing… or are we prisoners.. ? No rights of way.. ??.
Taking bets the staff pull sickies working that late!
The ferries should have a service level agreement to provide a comprehensive service, so the decision isn’t in the hands of Wightlink. Andrew Turner and Bob Seely have had 20 years between them to get this done through their government. Useless.
Oh yes. Because the government would listen and do everything each mp asks……how is it up there in cloud Cuckoo land?
How can they even think of putting on extra services when they can’t run the scheduled services which they have already
It’s a distraction to lull gullible islanders into thinking Wightlink listen and care … they don’t maximum profits, inadequate service .. low competition I refuse to travel with Wightlink these days, far too unreliable. Don’t mind paying for a good service .. but we are paying for a rubbish service .. and only Wightlink can make a difference so forget Seely, the Government and IWC .. they are powerless.
What time do the venues finish in Portsmouth then ?/ 10pm.. ?? And the pubs do they close at 10pm… no bloody likely, so why are there not later ferries.. like 23: 50, or later ??
There a number of us who have joined a Facebook group – we are part of a forum where we discuss our concerns with Wightlink; we like to think we had a part to play in getting the extended times for those days in December.
Can you please join us?
It’s called wightlink users
Thank you