Scoot Ferries Ltd, a new Isle of Wight based Ferry Company, has announced the launch of two new foot passenger services starting from early next month, including a service between Yarmouth and Lymington.
The first service will provide a fast 5-minute shuttle service connecting West and East Cowes, from Town Quay in the West and the Grid Iron Steps in the East and will connect with the times of the Red Jet service, providing a seamless transfer for travellers.
The first ferry will leave from East Cowes at 06:00 hours and operate a continuous shuttle service until the last service leaving from West Cowes 15 minutes after the departure of the last Red Jet of the day.
The service will start as a 12‐passenger ferry, with a larger ferry coming into commission from October 2015 which will have space for 50 foot‐passengers and up to six bicycles.
Adult tickets will be £1.00 each way, with concessions for season ticket holders, children, students and OAPs.
The second crossing will be a new, high‐speed foot passenger service linking Yarmouth with Lymington Town Quay in the New Forest. The service will operate initially with capacity for 12 passengers and up to five bicycles and run a regular 25‐minute crossing to a scheduled timetable.
Services will connect with South West trains between London and Lymington Town, with the first departure from Yarmouth at 06:30 hours and the last departure from Lymington being at midnight.
Two new, 30-passenger ferries will be purpose-built by South Boats IOW Limited and come into service from April 2016. Standard one-way tickets will be priced at £9.00 with concessions for season ticket holders, students, children and OAPs.
Scoot Ferries aims to provide a much‐needed late night travel service between West Wight and the mainland, enabling local businesses to benefit from increased trade by giving customers wider scope and flexibility to visit the many excellent places to eat, drink and enjoy entertainment on both sides of the water – not to mention giving regular commuters more options for returning to the island from working on the mainland.
Charlie Kearnes, Owner of The Hut in Colwell Bay, said:
“We are extremely excited about Scoot and its late sailing times, as it opens up the potential for people to visit us from the mainland and still get back home without difficulty.”
Zoë Ombler, CEO of Scoot Ferries said:
“We are really excited to announce the launch of Scoot Ferries, with our first services starting this August. We have designed this service specifically with Isle of Wight residents in mind and our primary goal is to enhance the ease of islanders getting on and off the island alongside existing foot passenger services – which is why we will offer late-night sailings, fast sailing times and enhanced transport links both with the existing Red Jet service and with trains to and from Lymington”.
During 2016, the company will also be launching a much‐requested service between Cowes and Hamble and between Cowes and Portsmouth, subject to vessel availability.
