Ferry pier parking tariff to allow shorter stays

Ferry passengers park at Ryde Pier Head before ferry crossings to Portsmouth

Parking charges at an Isle of Wight transport hub are to be revised to allow motorists to pay for shorter stays.

Motorists parking at Ryde Pier Head, many taking passenger ferries to Portsmouth, currently have to pay £11.50 for periods ranging between two and 16 hours.

From December, new tarrifs for four, six and eight hours are set to be introduced,

Ferry operator Wightlink said the new bands would make it "easier and more flexible" for customers to park at the site.

Parking will remain free for the first 30 minutes.

Instead of having to pay £11.50, regardless of duration, a four hour stay will now cost £5.50.

Six hours will cost £7.50 and eight hours will cost £9.50.

Two hour's parking will remain at £3.50 and a £13.50 charge will remain for up to 24 hours.

The ferry operator said: "Following customer feedback, we're making it easier and more flexible for customers to park at Ryde Pier Head.

"From 1 December, we're introducing additional time bands, giving passengers even more choice for shorter stays.

"We'll continue listening to Island residents to improve our services."

The car park is at the end of Victorian Pier which reopened in 2024 after a £10m refurbishment of the Ryde Interchange.

Built in 1814, Ryde Pier is the UK's oldest and the second-longest seaside pier in the country at half a mile long