Wightlink has announced that they are reducing the number of sailings to and from the Isle of Wight due to low passenger numbers.
The Coronavirus outbreak has had a significant impact on the numbers of people who want to travel says Wightlink. This change to passenger volumes has affected all cross-Solent operators and is not sustainable as this crisis is likely to last for many weeks.
Wightlink has decided, following discussions with Isle of Wight Council, to bring in a reduced timetable from today (Monday) with fewer sailings during this coronavirus emergency.
Wightlink will be prioritising essential freight supplies to the Island including food and fuel as well as assisting the NHS and emergency services. But there will be plenty of sailings that individuals can book if needed.
From today, a 2-hourly service is in operation on the Lymington-Yarmouth service and hourly sailings on the Portsmouth-Fishbourne car ferry and FastCat passenger routes.
Keith Greenfield, Wightlink’ Chief Executive, says:
“We need to take this action and know it will affect the travel plans of some of our customers. However, bringing essential supplies to the Isle of Wight is our key priority at present, together with supporting the NHS and emergency services.”
“This new timetable will also allow greater resilience to cope with increased levels of staff absence due to self-isolations”.
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All information about the new timetable can be found on www.wightlink.co.uk.
Wightlink’s Contact Centre and ticket office teams have all the details, too. Customers who want to amend their bookings can do so for free online.
Well well well….. There we have it Wightlink finally admitting to cutting services due to low passenger numbers instead of the usual ‘mechanical issues/staff sickness/operational reasons’.
It took something as serious as this Covid19 crisis for them to actually come clean
With such a seemingly honest excuse this time I bet the ‘technical reasons’ that all to oft cancel sailings is used far less frequently in the coming weeks…………
By pure coincidence of course.
Tighten our belts time, now. Food production likely hit hard now many cannot leave the home. This is clearly not just old ill dying, but many others, hence the panic measures now announced. Never did trust HMG of any party.
Odd cancelling sailings when you want people to stay as far apart as possible. The same with the tube trains. The less sailings the more people on the sailing.
It is just a cost cutting exercise. Not concern for the public