The cost of driving up Ryde Pier will increase from £1 to £2 on Sunday, although a cheaper contactless payment option is being introduced.
Vehicles wishing to drive up the historic 205-year-old structure currently pay a £1 toll fee at the entrance. This entitles each motorist to 30 minutes of free parking – enough time to drive up the pier, drop off/pick up catamaran passengers and drive back down to dry land.
Now, Wightlink has announced that the pier toll will increase by 100% from Sunday 15th September with the new cash price set at £2. This is the first increase in 8 years and is said to reflect the cost of repairs and maintenance of the pier structure.
The installation of a new, faster entry system does mean that contactless payment through bank cards and smartphones will now be accepted by the cross-Solent operator. Those opting to use the modern payment method will pay a pier toll of £1.30 – 70p cheaper than those paying by coin, but still 30p more expensive than it is today.
In a notice to passengers, Wightlink has said:
“This is the first increase since 2011 and reflects the cost of repairs and maintenance of the 205 year old Grade Two listed structure.
“Wightlink invested £5.5million refurbishing Ryde Pier in 2010. Since then, further repairs and maintenance has cost £2.6million. Work currently underway involves wrapping the pier’s concrete piles in carbon fibre to protect them from corrosiion at a cost of £155,000.
“Ryde Pier is the UK’s oldest working pier and the second-longest. We are very conscious of its heritage and are determined to keep it in good condition. Increasing the toll in line with inflation helps us defrayed the cost of repairs and maintenance.
Article continues below this advertisement “We’ve listened to many customers that told us they would like to pay the piuer toll by card or smartphone and this new barrier entry system gives this option”.
The new entry system installation will begin today (Monday) and will go live at 16:00 on Sunday 15th September. Season ticket holders with 30-day parking ticket can continue to access the pier for free.
UPDATE @ 10:15 – Wightlink have confirmed that the parking charges remain unchanged. The pier toll of £2 – or £1.30 if paying by card – will secure entry to the pier and includes 30 minutes of waiting time.
The cost of parking at the pier will begin at £2 for 2 hours, plus the £2 or £1.30 toll fee – a total of £4 for 2 hours parking, or £3.30 if paying by card.
1st increase since 2011, was that when they started charging.. was 2010 free to drive up the pier.
This is akin to shops charging money to come through the door. The only difference, many have no choice. Local residents will have to suffer more people parking in local roads and walking to the pier. I don’t want to support a fixed link but these cowboys are making it hard not to.
Ferry prices have probably doubled so how do they justify this price rise on the pier
should put some off driving up and encourage you to take the train, which is cheaper for a single or walk. Less traffic on the pier, less wear, less congestion at ferry arrival and departures.
Ferry prices are pretty much the same and the cost of maintaining building and the boats is one the but to add the cost to repair the pier as well is a lot more they have to make the money for repairs somewhere ♂️♀️
Seriously what a joke..they charge over a hundred pounds for a period return and now you pay to pick up youre loved ones..stop protecting the greedy share holders that dint live on the island..just in festival week they cover costs in first 2 ferrys sailing and the rest in the day is profit ..you add this up is a massive boost on the dividends they do nothing for people who actually live here and are robbing us blind..and yes that info came from a long standing employee that has worked for wightlink for years and he is discusted by the prices..dint want a fixed link but why can’t we have cheap prices fir people who can prove they live here..for example the barcode on youre council tax bill..scan it get big discounts!!!!!!!
When you pay to go on to the pier, I do not call that free parking as Island Echo have stated…
Better to park at St. John’s Road Station. £1.50 for 24hrs. Day return to Portsmouth Harbour £19.70.
The Cost, Price, Fare, Value etc, should not vary with method of payment, that is immoral, irrespective of handling the resulting coinage
Extortion. Typical Wightlink behaviour from what ive seen.
If for the needed upkeep of the pier is a slight increase of only £1 (or 30pence for contactless), then good on them. People have a choice and I don’t think the increase is hardly extortionate.
Disgusting doubling price. Again affects the residents.
“in line with inflation”?
That would make the average rate of inflation about 10% per annum.
Whilst that figure is possibly in line with the amount they’ve increased the ferry prices over the last 8 years, it certainly isn’t even close to either of the standard measures. (RPI or CPI).
I also can’t help wondering how much of maintenance costs have already been offset by money from parking charges and Island line? (I assume the latter don’t get the use of the line and station for free)
Hopefully I’ll be proved wrong on this but we could see a large increase in the number of “penalty charges” imposed on the pier.
Paying by card will make it very easy for them to instantly collect the “penalty charges” (fines) from those who dip very slightly over 10mph or overstay their allotted 30 minutes by a few seconds.
It also means future price hikes can be done remotely with just a couple of keystrokes.
The pier is tatty and looks unloved in the most part. The railway station is an eyesore. As a gateway to an island with a significant part of its economy based on tourism it is a shameful example of decay, lack of sensitive investment and poor leadership. If the increased toll is channelled into improvements in facilities for the pier then I say good.
I completely agree, first impressions do count and it does look run down so I would also like to see some of the money invested in a pot of paint
The island is becoming ridiculous. 2 pound to drive a mile ? The buses are the most expensive in the world we don’t live in bloody paradise !! Private companies and the council don’t give a shit and blatantly rip everyone off.This island is a bloody joke