I don’t write opinion pieces often, but when a subject comes up time and time again that is clearly very emotive to my readers – and is only getting worse – I feel that as a community leader, I must share my thoughts. That subject is, of course, cross-Solent travel… a story that continues to dominate the headlines daily. Last week we reported on how visitor numbers at some of the Island’s top attractions have failed to bounce back after the COVID pandemic, with the likes of Osborne House seeing a 23% fall in visitor numbers between 2019 and 2023. As I wrote the story I couldn’t help but feel that this is just the tip of the iceberg, with more commercial entities keeping their cards very close to their chests. It seems every time we are hit with another attraction or hotel closing (we’ve just lost Jack Up), or increased costs to day-to-day living, Island Echo readers point the finger at the ferries – and I can’t disagree. The ferry firms have got a firm grip and it feels as though they are squeezing tighter and tighter every year. Over on X – formerly Twitter – we were recently alerted to an Islander’s shock when looking to book a ferry. As they took to the Red Funnel website to book a break away in August, they were met with a whopping £369 fare for a 7-day return – and tweeted us to say “Red Funnel you should be ashamed at the damage you are doing to us and tourism on the Isle of Wight”. Damning. How have we ended up with that sort of cost, when not all that long ago you could pick up a day return (which is still 1 outbound trip, 1 inbound trip don’t forget) for a little over £30? Even for those with money, that is a disgustingly high price. Pricing isn’t the only issue… we’ve seen a massive increase in instances of poor reliability and staff shortages. Wightlink is reliant on 1 ferry that is almost 35 years old to maintain a full Summer timetable, and Red Funnel has 3 ferries that desperately need replacing – but that won’t happen for at least another 4 years. It’s all well and good having snazzy terminals, but if the boats can’t or won’t run then the whole operation falls apart. Both ferry operators run multiple services that are considered, by Islanders, to be lifeline services. Why do they not have a full skeleton crew to ensure that if someone is unavailable for work, there is someone else to step into their shoes? Wightlink seems unable to source replacement staff even at 2 days’ notice! Hovertravel, on the other hand, has had a fairly good system in place for a number of years with a spare pilot on standby. You may hear of the hover being cancelled for weather or technical reasons, but never because their staff haven’t turned up for work… The Isle of Wight now has 2 Members of Parliament and both seem keen to sort the ferries. Richard Quigley, representing the West, says regulation is the way forward. Joe Robertson, for the East, agrees that something needs to be done and is keen to work with his Labour counterpart in the interests of all Islanders, although their views on the best way forward differ. They are only a couple of weeks into their tenure, so we need to give them time to find their feet but let’s hope they deliver something to save this Island. Ultimately, something has to change. The Isle of Wight is really feeling the pinch now and, if we’re not careful, we will lose our tourism trade altogether. We’re mid-July and the Island feels very quiet. The Summer holidays will certainly be a tell-tell sign as to whether holidaymakers have chosen to head to the West Country – or abroad – this year… Let’s us know your thoughts on cross-Solent travel in the comments…
EDITOR'S COLUMN: SOMETHING MUST CHANGE WITH THE FERRIES AS THE ISLAND IS REALLY FEELING THE PINCH
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Just cannot justify the cost despite wanting to visit 2-3 times a year. Ferry prices are extortionate
A definite positive, never mentioned re having extortionate Ferry charges is that it does prevent a lot of riff-raff from living here.
We’d certainly have far more low life travelers, ethnics, and poorer families move here funded by us as those living by tax credits/ universal credit etc would swell in numbers if they could travel cheaply back and forth.
We would get more rowdy destructive stag night types in pubs coming for the weekend of mayhem.
More likely to have asylum seekers here with the consequences of rape, stealing, and knife crime.
Since having more non island people move here we already deteriorated into more crime, but less so than a fixed link or cheap ferry service
Careful what you wish for
What is needed here is a better class of holiday maker. The bucket and spade tourist industry is small fry as most families now, with overly generous in work benefits if having children go abroad, spending that state paid benefit in other lands.
So, we need huge luxury mariners and fully functioning airports, flying people in and out of the Island to attract the money, not the benefit brigade.
An effective Airport, and a large Marina with bars, overnight luxury accommodation, such as Gunwarf would encourage better people with money, less cars here, thus taxis, public transport would gain, dry ski slopes on one or two of the Downs, Robin Hill a center park covered all weather attraction to extend the season etc.
Penalising the second home owners does not help.
We certainly don’t see tinkers and gypsy caravans clogging our roads and fields do we.
It also prevents islanders going back and forth to the mainland. Every time I go to the mainland to visit relatives I do it on the cheapest middle-of-the-night ferry and return at midnight. I simply can’t afford the daytime rip-off rates..
Surely you arrived here on a ferry, and understood that is the only practical means to come and go?
It has risen in cost, but so have wages. IF a prob, move back to the mainland.
As usual you don’t mention the only solution to these constant problems that will always be around, until we get a 21st century form of travel. A fixed link! Regulation is a waste of time as the government would have to regulate every ferry company in the UK, & they won’t do that, as well as it not stopping delays & cancellations!
No local authority on the mainland will agree to any type of fixed link, and all of them have formally said so. A fixed link will never happen.
Wrong, so stop lying. Actually Southampton & Portsmouth councils want the ferries gone out their cities cos of the traffic congestion they cause. Plus the fixed link entrance/exit will be no where near the cities!
If we had a fixed link the Island would quickly become a slave to mainland cars and no different to the mainland. Consequently, counter-productive.
Don’t talk so stupid, especially when you don’t have any evidence to back that absurd comment up. So what about all the cars leaving the island?
According to media, since The Isle of Skye had a fixed link, the island has been inundated with traffic.
Totally agree, ferries are a rip off. Particularly for journey started on the Island.
I think you need to watch your language. People are entitled their own opinion and you are probably not the recipient of all knowledge. I would like to know if you would be so disrespectful if you weren’t anonymous.
Ted and idiots would then be ‘expecting’ the vast sums of money to create any form of fixed link to come from shareholders in that business.
Then, as we see on here daily, you and they would be slagging them off as ‘greedy shareholders’ IF they dared charge more than thrupence’ to get a return on their capital RISKED and invested.
That is the trouble with public forums, sadly too many of the public are thick, and ONLY see the ‘good’ in what they want, never the reality of any situation.
They can’t even ‘afford’ a fixed link over the stones throw Medina, and cries of some day trip Yacht would be inconvenienced should it have to wait for a swing bridge to ‘open’.
Imagine such over the busiest stretch of water in the world. Dim
Why is it that you have to throw insults at people all of you? Can’t you just disagree politely?
The Victorians were brilliant engineers with pioneering building and infrastructure works. They tried the tunnel option and gave up….
My money would be on their expertise and not some current office based civil engineer with an ‘ology degree..
Wightlink is owned by a particularly aggressive investment company who specialises in investing in businesses where the customers have no alternative. How did they get the ferries? They were owned and run by British rail and sold off cheap when British rail was privatised. First thing the new owners did was to take out huge loans using the ferries as collateral. Then they pocketed the money and added the loan repayments to the ticket price. Its a scam and a rip-off
You come across a self opinionated fool that obviously doesn’t like what others have to say on the matter, try listening instead of being a do as i say critic.
This is too true Mr Toogood I am not currently an island resident although my family are, I can echo this from the other side of the water. I have always considered myself an unofficial member of the IOW tourist board promoting the Island wherever I have resided on the North island and internationally too. However the cost of the ferries (and the accommodation too) have rocketed. If i suggest the IOW I get quoted many exotic locations around the world that are more accessible and often cheaper. I cant say anything else to them. I still travel personally to the island but less and less now.
The island is beautiful and I get to see this every day, as I am a resident. If I was a tourist, I would not come here now. Parking, accommodation, restaurant’s and ferry costs have escalated ten fold in a very short period. I appreciate the state of the economy, but when as an islander you feel you can’t go to a restaurant and get a decent meal twice in a row, travel to numerous places without spending a small fortune on parking, encourage family to visit who pay a £1000 for 7 days to stay in a property you wouldn’t keep dogs in, why would anyone want to. Prices have rocketed, standards have dropped, i am not surprised tourists are not coming tbh. This island never was like some grubby European holiday spot when I used to holiday here
I live over Portsdown hill in Portsmouth and used to love going over on the Fastcat for a day trip to Shanklin or Ventnor and the last time I visited was last year but now I would rather wait until August for my holiday in Spain as the cost to get over to the Isle of wight is ridiculous now that I would rather fly over and look at the Island also the cost of staying in a caravan is far dearer in Shanklin.
TITF recommended a fixed link feasibility study back in July 2017 , why hasn’t this been done? The DfT say it has never been requested, corrupt politicians?
They could not raise enough money to carry out the study, price of study probably double by now, not sure what this had to do with the politicians?
The study is still the same price and funds are still being donated. Plus the new MP has said he will ask for the study to be performed
They would rather waste money on things that don’t work like floating bridge!!!!!@@
Well they are 96million up while the rest of us are on our knees. Maybe they should use some of that lol.
Vey well said !
Wightlink and Red Funnel in particular are all about squeezing every drop of blood from their customers, for the very minimum expenditure. The Chief Exec is not to blame for everything, but she is certainly responsible for the appalling staff morale resulting in shortage of staff. It is a similar story at Wightlink where service is a distant memory. Let’s hope the 2 MPs are able to bring about the change we so desperately need,
The now ceo was or is the late ceo of talktalk who again hiked there price’s up
Same old same old it’s never going to change both money making machine for share holders
If you were a shareholder, you would want to make a good return, I know I would.
If DFDS can make profits for their shareholders on their Dover / Dunkirk crossing for a price much less than some quotes for crossing the Solent, then your argument falls a little flat.
The island is dying a slow death in regards to tourism. Family members now leave there cars over in Portsmouth and come over for the day instead of forking stupid money to stay for the week.
All Ferrys, southern water and fire cover are the islands biggest issues and no one seems to do anything about them.
Who wants to spend a £150-£200 ferry fee just to come here when you have great places in Dorset to visit with no boat charges.
Easter holidays ryde beach was dead compared to 10 years ago. I wonder why?
Cheaper to holiday in Sussex or Dorset etc
The extortionate Ferry fares would help pay towards
the accommodation.
Time for the 2 island MPs to force Ferry Companies
to reduce their prices.
How exactly are they going to force private companies to reduce their prices when ferries are expensive to run? Impossible
Nationalise them
The ferries were owned by British rail. Got privatised. Need taking back into public ownership with the rest of the rail sector
£150-£200 I wish I have just paid £235 and I live on the island
Why as islanders can we not get the same price for ferry crossings as holiday makers? My sister has just told me her ferry crossings are £35 each way to bring car with a static caravan booking. Ok this is at end of September, but still cheaper than islanders are being quoted.
Why are islanders unable to get these discounts even though they pay council tax, and keep island businesses going throughout the year,at same time being the ferries constant customer.
Should this not be reversed, or at least equalised.
The ferry companies are private ltd companies nothing to do with council tax. Not sure how privatisation works would work for a private ltd company. So as private companies they could shut down any time they want to, as could any company. The sailing costs are high at certain times of day, which enables them to sail at times when there are less travelling, but the cost of running the ferry are the same.
Probably using caravan club discounts and 4am boat coming over and 23:30 boat going back that’s the only way to get a cheap boat but who wants to get a 4am boat hence why when you book a 7 day return just to get off the island at say 10:00 it can cost £135 one way
No, this seeming rip off applies regardless of time.
Only to find the ferry you booked is broken or has no crew and you get re-booked on waht they fancy to shove you on.
Ferries are a joke these days and need sorting out
1 pay red funnel up front on a card….a grand to get 20% off….but still pay about 160 for return crossing
They need to look at ferry pricing first during peak time the prices are so expensive give the customers good deals to bring them over buy over pricing it’s driving people away from coming to the island
When, if you hunt for it, you can go to Spain for the price of the ferry crossing, virtually guaranteed good weather, cheaper prices on most things, why would you pay to come across and pay inflated U.K. prices for everything?
Hovertravel, on the other hand, has had a fairly good system in place for a number of years with a spare pilot on standby. You may hear of the hover being cancelled for weather or technical reasons, but never because their staff haven’t turned up for work…
They also have trained everyone of their operations teams to be capable of being the Hovercraft crew (even those staff you see selling tickets – most of them are crew trained), as there must be two on board every trip – that means if someone calls in sick, they always have another staff member on duty at either of the Hovercraft terminals that is crew trained and just gets on board and crews it – ensuring the service keeps on running.
I have been coming to the island since a very young age…. Over 50 years now. Some years 3 times a year. I have brought my now grown up children who still love the island. Last year we had two visits not a week long.Visiting attractions, pubs, cafes, shops and fuel stations . I have noticed less holiday makers around. This year we have cut to just one week purely down to the ferry costs. We did think about not coming as prices are so high. Such a shame the ferry company has such a grip on the island. Personally I like the ferry trip as it’s part of the holiday and always has been. A fixed link for me would take that away but the ferry companies need to look at reducing costs or lose their business overnight if a fixed link ever came along.
Clueless useless IW Council are too blame fo the lack of
Tourists.
Expensive parking charges and public toilet charges do not help.
I have heard many tourists moan about having to pay to have a
Pee.
The island is finished.
I reckon many more businesses will be closing down at the end
of the season.
So you wouldn’t prefer a 6 min journey with no waiting either side & the same toll charge anytime day or night, 365 days a year?
There is only truly one solution and that’s a fixed link
It would create jobs for the island and would be great
for the economy .
Our children and their childrens futures are looking grim
on the island, unless things change for the better,
Hear hear, think of the future years for Island children, even education isn’t great now.
Who would want to visit here if the Island was covered in fixed link cars?
lol… no one wants to visit now because of the expensive ferry fares and the state of the island. And what about all the cars that will be leaving the island?
Just be careful what you wish for. I recently visited Skye and Mull in Scotland. Due to its bridge, Skye was overloaded by campervans etc., and what visitors came for was being destroyed. Mull was completely different, although it has three ferry services ( sound familiar), the influx of visitors was controlable. Mind you, we did six ferry crossings (2 adults plus car), for a total of £108.15. Its a difficult problem.
Fixed link is the answer and to prevent too many cars you could have a toll. Personally I would pay £50 of £60 to use a fixed link (much cheaper than ferries). You could have free passage for islanders.
Could not agree more, but no one seems to want a serious discussion. Let the island die first seems to be what some want ?
With fast dwindling numbers coming to the island, means fewer and fewer people looking for accommodation, with a giant knock on affect to the island’s economy ?
Just don’t let the ferry companies be investors into a fixed link, because we know what the price of travel will be ??
They will not be allowed to be involved as they would have vested interests in the route. Road tolls are regulated by the government & at the moment the most expensive one in England is £12 return I believe
two of my family used the Lymington Yarmouth Ferry 2 months ago. It cost £170 return for a car. By contrast I took the Newhaven to Dieppe Ferry last Sept for £180 return. That puts IOW ferries into perspective.
Also cheaper to go to Jersey by Ferry
Plus you have duty free perks on their Ferries
unlike Wightlink or Red Funnel
Jersey & Guernsey are having fixed link studies performed now
The ferries aren’t the only problem for falling visitor numbers, attractions are beyond expensive and offers the same old stuff year on year. It’s cheaper to go overseas for two weeks than come here.
Well said, so many attractions have closed over the years,
the remaining attractions are overpriced.
Many eateries are charging too much for food.
Fish, chips and peas in the Fishermens Cottage is £20.00
+ they charge 12.5% service charge
We are not in London, who else charges a service charge on the
Island!
It is becoming a joke.
Transporting 60kg of me in a passenger ferry is about £30 nowadays.
How much do you want to pay for 2000kg of your car? Let’s make driver weight free! 😉
Prices should scale based of this.
Otherwise we’re just subsidising drivers even more than we do subsidise them already with fuel.
£30 car ferry? Then fair passenger price is 1£.
£30 passenger? Then fair price for a car is £1000.
Your choice. I’m happy with either.
To those who give thumbs down, please explain why your rate per kg should be 10000% (sic!) less than mine, when you also take more space?
I’m very happy for you to pay £30 for 2000kg if I get to pay proportionate £1 for 60kg.
The thing I find that blows my mind the most…. is red funnel wight link etc give huge discounts to nearly every major business on the island!-probably the same on mainland so it’s just Jo bloggs who has to pay extortionate prices.
I’m not sure what on earth they get in return apart from repeat business(but when there’s only a couple of routes they probably have to repeat anyway) ..you name it they all get it, every super market, every manufacturing company, police fire and ambulance…
If they stopped giving all these big companies discounts which get extended to all their friends and family perhaps the prices paid would even out for everyone?
Agree ferry prices well over the top. There non affordable to me
there is also other contributing factors also why we are really suffering financially, the price of literally everything has shot up,But wages haven matched it no where near so things have to be prioritised things have to be cut out altogether and following this it snowballs on to everyone selling a service so to speak ,like shops trips to the mainland etc etc in the end more and more people will find it harder and harder and will not have spare money to do anything other than try to keep roof over their head .
And some won’t even be able to do that
council tax keeps rising out of control.All is domed I’m afraid
I’ve booked today for Sunday at the end of September, return + car + 4 adults/ total cost was just under £72.
That works out at less than £9 per person for each crossing without factoring in the cost of the car being carried..
Sounds a bit of a bargain.
No, I don’t work for Wightlink.
Mr Toogood I am pleased you are addressing the issue
Tourism on the island is poor.
Ferry Fares are criminal.
Taxi Fares are criminal.
Public Toilet charges are criminal.
Parking charges are criminal, even London does not charge
motorists to park their vehicles overnight
(£2.00 Nightly charge on the Island 365 days a year)
Darren you should have been an Island MP, they have gone shy
already addressing the issues us Islanders have to face on a
Daily basis.
Keep up the good work.
It is getting so bad my family are thinking of
moving to the mainland – cheaper council taxes etc
Cheaper council taxes due to more mid- and high-rises (which are net positive, unlike houses where utilities maintenance costs more than tax paid by a house) and more productive-age workforce.
A friend who flys light aircraft flew from the west country into sandown for a visit a while back, to run a 6 litre gas guzzling engine on av gas at £2 a litre was significantly cheaper than the ferry, oh and that includes the landing fees!
Anyway thought wonder boy Quigley would have it sorted by now eh.
Isn’t the point that 2 weeks in, both newly elected MPs are engaging with the issue? At least save your criticism for when there.’s something to criticise.
Yes I agree that ferry prices are at an unrealistic and unjustifiable level.
Islanders are being held hostage by the ferry companies ??
As for tourist attractions on the island, I am not surprised that visitor are down. Being realistic, who can afford the cost of that 5 mile journey, then accommodation for a period, then having to pay a very expensive entrance fee. Not many normal families can do this during this current cost of living crisis.
Would it not be a good time to halve entrance fees and get double the amount of visitors, just saying, but then I’m not a money grabbing organisation ??
It’s all down to the ferry companies as an Islander myself I have just paid £235 for a 7 day return on red funnel I don’t understand what the difference is between a day return and a 7 day return your still going and coming back just not on the same day so why charge more? And why is leaving the Island more expensive than coming back or at least it was when i booked my ferry. The prices need to be capped £30 each way would be more than enough.
Why would you pay it? The ferry companies keep the prices high because of people like you that keep paying their ridiculous fares. If everyone refused to come here for a year or 2 then they would have to lower their fares or go bankrupt
This is really outrageous. In comparison, I just spotted an offer from Brittany Ferries for a 5 day return for car and 2 passengers to France for £186. I wished they could take over!
Ferries are expensive. But does anyone know what it costs to run them. Wightlink crew on shift 24hrs per day so the crews pay, admins pay, ticket office pay, the dock workers pay, fuel and maintenance. I’ve used them for years, 3/4 times a day or night very often the only truck on it. I’d like to know the cost over 24 hrs
I am born and bred Isle of Wight, but moved to Kent back in 2011. Over the years I have noticed a huge increase in prices by both ferry companies. I have visited my family less and less because of it. I also refuse to line the pockets of those companies and its leaders. They have become less reliable also. I do feel for the islanders who rely on them to go to work, hospital appointments etc. I think the only way is providing a fixed link. Of course there will be a toll, but it will be a darn sight cheaper and quicker to use that. It definitely needs addressing once and for all. This argument has gone on way too long!
I’m surprised, it seems your article and many of the comments are in favour of nationalisation of the ferries.
Logical maybe – they used to be owned by BR so there’s no real reason that they can’t do the same again.
That’s virtually impossible, because you can’t single out the IW ferry companies as you would have to nationalise every ferry company in England, & that will never happen. A fixed link is the only way to sort this problem
All my family on the Island and I’ve been coming over every six weeks for last 20 odd years. This weekend my ferry was cancelled Friday night due to lack of staff. I re booked for Saturday very early. (They wanted to charge me an amendment fee!). This one night trip cost me £264. I have a family of my own and work part time. I don’t mind Wightlink Making a profit but I don’t like being ripped off.
I was supposed to visit for a day trip on July 15th but spent the day in So’ton instead as the ferry has technical issues.
Regarding the Jack Up festival. I used to come every year for this event and have many great memories of those weekends on ‘The Island’. I stopped coming when the festival evolved from a weekend 80’s festival to a three day event, with separated tickets for each day and wasn’t solely 80’s music. It wasn’t the ferry service that affected my decision to stop attending this event.
We had to cancel a Ferry crossing in June.
We were giving them a weeks notice.
This was due to a shock terminal diagnosis of a family member.
There response took days.
They would only pay back half of the money and stated they wanted proof of the diagnosis to consider paying the other half.
We told them to keep the money. We are disgusted with them.
Something needs to be done about this situation here and fast.
They would have been able to sell that ticket no problem as it was over the festival period.
The way we are all being treated on this Island is just unbelievable.
I assume that you booked with Red Funnel?
If you booked with Wightlink you have the option to pay for a standard refundable ticket or an economy which is not refundable should you cancel.
I only use Wightlink as it is then my choice to make sure I cover all my options should my arrangements change…
Island echo mentions the 2 MPs , quite rightly that they have just taken on the role and definitely need time to address the situation . Then for some absurd reason Island echo allows comments to be posted where they are slammed for not doing anything when Richard and Joe are definitely doing more than bob seely. Why does Island echo allow these comments? You say you check each comment before it’s posted, when clearly you don’t, or these comments wouldn’t make it
The ferry companies are a cancer to the island. God forbid you need to get on or off in an emergency the cost alone can be a huge obstacle and you’re not even guaranteed a ferry.
Most of my family live on there and I can’t afford to visit them. As a family we used to visit yearly and I remember how busy and alive everything was. We moved to the Island where I remained for about 8 years before I moved away for good. Even then I could see a change in the winds and each summer getting quieter.
A fixed linked is the solution but regulate the amount of cars and add a tax to each car crossing which can then be used back on the island to improve infrastructure. If nothing is done it’ll be too late as it’s cheaper to go abroad.
The ferries are unaffordable for most people now. If mainlanders were charged this much to use the motorways there would be riots, yet on the Island we are cut off from that network by ludicrous ferry prices and expected to just put up with it. These companies hold the residents to ransom and deter visitors from coming and destroy our tourist industry. Its time for the government to step in, they promised change so its high time they started to deliver!!
Please join WUG. WIGHTLINK USERS GROUP. The committee have done excellent work uncovering information and producing a range of comprehensive reports based on research and sound data that demonstrate that the financial framework works to the disadvantage of WL users, and only benefits its owners and shareholders; that there is a lack of any accountability of any kind; that there are disadvantages to islanders as they see more health services moved to the mainland and the challenge for families to see each other. There’s a demo in Ryde 17 August. Come and join us.
Paying more for a period return on the ferry is more expensive, but it is the same with rail journeys and the last time I used it, same again for National coaches. Not saying that in defence of the ferries, no point in knee jerk reaction when it is just a fact of travel in the UK.
Lets not forget the island has 140,000 captive audience (give or take) that many find eating out, going to attractions, shows etc far out of their pocket as they can’t afford “tourist prices” so during the off season these places close or fall by the wayside never to reopen If it wasn’t for the ferry discounting tickets for the punters then they would fail even quicker.
As for a fixed link …. not a snowball in hell of that ever happening.
Man, if only some people were talking about side-effects of car-dependency for literally decades now. Like Ghel and others, since the 70s.
But I guess we can’t build cycling lanes with 16x ROI that would bring us 3% GDP if only 25% of people cycled on short routes (including children who can’t drive anyway!) that we could then use for cheap public transport, including ferries! — and make sure people have other options than a car, so drivers can drive smoothly on less congested streets, no need for school runs, car insurance cheaper as well cause they’d have to compete with other modes of transport…
…too bad we can’t do it because that would be „war on cars” ;-)))
(or rather „war on car CEO wallets” that people so dearly protect)
The Pro-Link campaign for a cross Solent fixed link has been ongoing for 10 years. We were on the cusp of a study until Bob Seely became MP. Lobbying for both ferry companies, he used his position to obstruct it and attempt to destroy our campaign. Ultimately it failed. He is gone… we now have hope.
As stated for 10 years, regulation, nationalisation and subsidies are all impossible and quite frankly won’t solve many of the existing problems.
If those options were possible, it would have been done.
Both ferry companies have ENORMOUS power over businesses and institutions on the island. They control it. They control the council. They threaten to remove discounts and timetables if they are opposed.
There is ONLY ONE SOLUTION.
Fixed link over the Medina first please.
So how is the funding for the feasibility study going? Seeing as you originally said you would have £120k in a few months, it’s now 5 years, it must have increased in price now? I cannot see how bob Seely destroyed your campaign, I think it was more about lack of donations.
Feeney is talking out of his backside – the study didn’t happen because no one will pay for it – all he is doing is blaming someone else for his failure.
there will be no fixed link, not now, not ever – seen the disasterous effects on the isle of skye since they had a fixed link put in – gridlocked and inundated with cars and undesirables.
We came for our first holiday and have loved our time here, but the ferry was extortionate, so despite us loving all the island has to offer, the cost of the ferry is extortionate (we paid just under £200) so we will unfortunately not be returning.
I’m sure you won’t post this comment,..
whist I agree that something has to be done about the ridiculous cost / unreliability fo both Red Funnel and Wightlink,
re. “ I feel that as a community leader,…”
what gives you the right to claim to be ‘a community leader’ ??
were you elected ?
has anyone voted for you?
other than publishing often click-bait stories,.. and allowing people to post their bigoted, homophobic/ transphobic rants, unchecked,.. what have you done for the community of the Isle of Wight that makes you think you can consider yourself as a ‘leader’ ??
I don’t care how old the ferries are, but what I would love is a reliable service, with low costs.
Many, many years ago, when I lived on the mainland, booking a ferry for summer holidays was quite expensive and there was much less choice of timings. Things gradually improved – but then Maggie Thatcher decided that privatisation was the wonderful way of ‘improving’ things and previously state-owned enterprises were sold off and eventually bought by capital venture companies who have huge debts to service. Guess who now has to pay to service those debts?
Remember when Wightlink had five ferries? Crews employed to man them. Now just three ferries, corresponding reduction in crew costs and not enough staff to cover manning shortfalls. Terminal costs the same whether running three or five ferries.
Ok, it’s still not great, but just booked 7 nights away using Red Funnel, 4 people and car, from East Cowes in August for £169.00.
That’s £45.50 each, return.
Travelling out in the morning, not particularly early, and returning a week later in the late afternoon.
Yes, I could have chosen midday times and it would have been more expensive, but that would be a bit silly and only to prove a point.
Yes, £169.00 is still a lot but far less than the £369 fare quoted in the article.
Last month came back from a cricket tour of 20 people (4th year running). Need several vehicles to get our stuff to the grounds. Average vehicle cost for a trip from Thurs to Sun was £280. Highest £360. Tour is already booked next year to go to Kent. Cost of ferries the sole reason why its not the IOW again.
The bigger problem is the unreliability of the ferries. We make our travel plans and book everything but can never be sure we will catch our plane, or get to work, or attend a hospital appointment when we should (and that could mean waiting a year for a new one). And if there should be a major fire etc we can’t be sure of timely reinforcements. They could give islanders free tickets but it would mean nothing if the ships aren’t running
Shortest in distance between Island and mainland is to the west and would involve building a main road through the new forest and getting stuck at Lyndhurst
this letter was bound to bring the usual comments wasn’t it. I we are really serious about bringing competition to the ferries it is not a fixed link we should be pressing for, it is an airport. Imagine, short hop domestic flights to Southampton, London City, even Gatwick eventually. Imagine. No multi million pound development needed, just a decent runway. the worst hold up would be our Island Roads objecting because of the traffic…..
It’d have to be a blooming big plane to accommodate a car and caravan…
It should still be state owned and heavily subsidised.
Good enough for the Scots, good enough for us.
You should try booking a motorbike onto the ferry. Fishbourne £64 . Yarmouth £74
Their discount code has been suspended .
At least a meeting with the Secretary of State with both Island MPs has been sought. More than Seely bothered to do. There needs to be at least some Government regulation of the two companies involved and possibly nationalisation since these are essential services for Island residents and important services for anyone trying to run a business, especially one involved in tourism.
I live in Essex most of my family live on the island, for the last 25 years i have gone over twice a year to see them, around 3 years ago i was paying about £140 return for my car, since then it has gone up and up, this year we was planning on a september visit to see them, the best price return i could get, and even tried two singles was £380, i could have got that down to £305 if i went at 1am and returned at 5am, which i would not do, so for now and the foreseeable future i will not be seeing my family as i cannot justify that amount along with fuel cost which would be another £120 plus making £500, not a chance, this is why the island will lose its tourism and business will continue to close down, such a shame as we loved coming over.
After many years of coming to isle of wight we haven’t booked up for next year after being told the ferry will be double next Easter to what we paid this year!!
We have been coming over Easter or Summer for years but this is the biggest increase ever,
We have accepted the car parking increases which are also shocking as we have to park somewhere,
But ultimately the Ferry charges are the biggest draw backs now for visitors and islanders now, We have always wanted to live and work on the island or at worst retire there but do fear for our children if we did with the costs now involved in the crossing on the ferry!!
Some of the snobbier comments need to open their eyes and look at the Isle of Wight and how it is now. The island is full of people claiming benefits, no housing , ridiculous tents. The amount of schools failing and let’s not get started on the gene pool. Read the news, the drunks, the vandalism, the amount of hit and runs is appalling. There’s no infrastructure, trains an embarrassment as well as the floating bridge .the roads are in a terrible state, constant closures , repairs , diversions and let’s not forget the floodings. So don’t try to stop a fixed link saying it will bring in riff raff , the islands full of them already . Sadly the land slips will continue , it’s nature but there’s no forward planning of new roads /routes .