Islanders 'disconnected' by ferry scheme

Members of the Wightlink User Group say there isn't enough space on ferries for discount ticket holders

Ferry users and campaigners have said claims made by the boss of a ferry operator about its service are disingenuous.

Katy Taylor, chief executive of Wightlink, which connects the Isle of Wight with Portsmouth and Lymington, took calls from listeners on BBC Radio Solent on Monday.

She told listeners that 15% of seats were guaranteed to Multilink Pass holders, a scheme that allows islanders to buy lower-priced tickets in bulk, but this could often be more if there was space nearer to the journey.

However, Wightlink User Group (WUG) said families were being "disconnected" because there were not enough spaces for islanders and discounts were still expensive.

Bronwyn Hamilton-Brown, a trustee of WUG, said the only way she could see her family was if she travelled on the the foot passenger ferry and her family picked her up in Portsmouth.

She said the cost for them to come over regularly in a vehicle was too much.

"We aren't the priority," she continued.

"If they can get £150 from somebody, they certainly aren't going to give us [island residents] one-way passage for £36.50," she added.

Bronwyn Hamilton-Brown (centre) has campaigned for fairer ticket prices with local politicians

Others complained about not being able to use tickets bought through the company's Multilink tickets.

Ms Taylor said the ferry operator did all it could to "allow family and friends to connect".

Wightlink could not confirm the precise number of vehicles on each crossing due to their varying sizes but told the BBC: "The amount of space on car ferries reserved for customers with discounted Multilink Passes is, on average, 30% of capacity.

"On some sailings it is higher, on others lower - but it is never less than 15%."

Wightlink's website shows the car capacity for its ferries and the BBC has calculated 15% of each.

Portsmouth to Fishbourne:

• Victoria of Wight 178 - 15% = 26.7 spaces

• St Clare 186 – 15% = 27.9 spaces

• St Faith 62 – 15% = 9.3 spaces

Lymington to Yarmouth:

• Wight Light 65 – 15% = 9.75

• Wight Sun 65 – 15% = 9.75

On the Wightlink website, the cost of 10 singles works out at £36.50 per sailing, and 60 singles - which costs a total of £1,710 - works out at £28.50 per sailing.

Ms Hamilton-Brown said she felt frustrated by the cost of a Multilink Pass as "the only way you can get a journey for less than £30 is if you buy 60 passes which costs thousands of pounds."

"How many people have got nearly £2,000 to spend on ferry travel?" she continued.

'Extortionate'

Other frustrations voiced by listeners included comments made by Ms Taylor about terminal cafes offering free food and drink during travel disturbances, and alternative options for people struggling to pay fares due to financial difficulties.

Janine Saunders, from Sandown, asked why being on benefits was the only way to receive a discount: "What about the people who aren't on benefits but the cost of living has really wiped them out.

"It's still unaffordable."

Isle of Wight East Conservative MP Joe Robertson said: "The Isle of Wight contains the only two constituencies in England which are entirely reliant on unregulated, private companies for connection to the rest of the country.

"Wightlink can make changes themselves, and they need to - starting with a cap on extortionate peak car ferry travel and timetabling more early and late services on all their routes."

Wightlink provides services between the Isle of Wight and the mainland

Wightlink confirmed a price increase to the Multilink Pass from 14 April.

Responding to the hike, Ms Taylor said: "Our first duty as an operator is to provide lifeline services to island residents.

"However, in common with businesses across the UK, we are now facing increased operational costs, driven partially by the rise in National Insurance Contributions, meaning we are having to make changes to ticket pricing."

'Investing millions'

Sarah lives on the mainland and travels on Wightlink between Lymington and Yarmouth three or four times a year.

"I feel sorry for the ferry companies - they don't know when it's going to be busy," she said.

Speaking on disruptions to service and the price of fares, she said residents needed to factor that in.

"When you choose to live on an island, that goes with the territory," she said.

A spokesperson for the operator added: "Wightlink invests many millions of pounds every year on regular maintenance and annual refit and dry-docking for its fleet of eight vehicle ferries and passenger FastCat catamarans.

"Over the last year (31 March 2024 - 1 March 2025) 99.3% of scheduled ferries sailed and 93.2% departed within five minutes of the scheduled time."

The Wightlink User Group hold regular protests against ferry fares

In a letter to WUG, trustee Mark Rogers - the government's Maritime Directorate for the Department for Transport - made it clear it would not engage with complaints made about transport providers.

"While we understand the disruption that the issues you raise cause, complaints about transport providers are best handled by the company itself," Mr Rogers said.