Wightlink boss Keith Greenfield has agreed to meet with a town council after complaints the ‘poor service’ had had a negative impact on the town.
Earlier this month, former mayor of Yarmouth, Councillor Steve Cowley called on Wightlink’s chief executive to meet with the town council and explain the issues its ferry crossing had faced.
In recent weeks, the Yarmouth to Lymington crossing has been affected by a lack of crew and mechanical breakdowns which caused cancellations and gaps in the timetable.
Councillor Cowley said the town council wanted the discussion with Mr Greenfield to better understand “what on earth they were up to”.
He said:
“It’s having a negative impact on Yarmouth and its business, you cannot come over for a day because you don’t know whether you can go back or not. People cannot rely on it.”
An invitation was issued to Mr Greenfield which has since been accepted.
A Wightlink spokesperson said he would be happy to discuss the service as soon as possible, but had been advised by Yarmouth Town Council they would prefer him to attend one of the monthly meetings. While Mr Greenfield cannot make the December 6 meeting, the spokesperson said he can be at the following one on January 3, 2023.
The spokesperson said Wightlink was acutely aware of the issues and apologised for the poor reliability of the Yarmouth route in recent weeks.
The crew vacancies have been difficult to fill they say, but a recruitment process was started, appointments made and training is almost completed which will “significantly improve the reliability of the service.”
And no doubt after the meeting he will still come out with that smile on his face
That’s a p taking smirk it’s not just Yarmouth who he should be sitting down with ,it’s the hundreds of people he’s let down over and over again .
Maybe red funnel should have a rep there as well
And slave driver Chapman from hover too!
Councillor Cowley said the town council wanted the discussion with Mr Greenfield to better understand “what on earth they were up to”.
I’m sure Mr Greenfield can outsmart and outplay the town council, run circles around them .. my concern is where are Seely and IWC as Wightlinks poor service reliability affects the whole island not just “ tin pot “ Yarmouth .. they are not the islands voice there’s a reasons Seely and IWC are not going, they know there’s nothing they can do to a private company ..
Obviously they should have a Council run ferry service like the chain ferry at Cowes.
Ron I wouldn’t want IWC anywhere near running the islands ferry service.. there track record is poor.. let the government run th ferry service aligned to the islands needs or build a fixed link … but do not include IWC ..
Will he meet them though?
I mean, what if he tries to but the ferries aren’t running due to technical error….???
Put him in the stocks, then he’ll see how upset people are.
He can’t make the December 6th meeting, no ferries will be running! Pointless him coming over, he will just trot out the old excuses while claiming that the company provides a great service. Nothing will change.