Taken for a Ryde... Isle of Wight locals hit out at £440 fee for a return ferry ticket
FERRY companies have been accused of holding locals to ransom after charging Isle of Wight residents up to £440 for a return ticket to the mainland.
Islanders say that ‘ridiculous’ ferry prices, as well as cancellations and delays, are blighting their lives, and some now wish they had never moved there.
Others have revealed that life-saving hospital trips have been delayed because there was no room on the ferry.
Wightlink and Red Funnel run ferries between the island and mainland. At peak times, such as Cowes Week and the Isle of Wight Festival, a return journey can cost as much as £440, with the ferry providers using a flexible ‘airline’ model for prices.
The Wightlink User Group – set up by retired headteacher Bronwyn Hamilton Brown to campaign for better services – has almost 8,000 members on Facebook.
She said: ‘I started the group because I had difficulty getting from Ryde, where I live, to Portsmouth.’
The 62-year-old added: ‘There was effectively a curfew because the last boat was at 8.20pm – even Cinderella got to stay out until midnight.’
The island has limited health services, and many people have to travel to the mainland for treatment. One islander has told of how her partner’s journey by ambulance – to be treated for sepsis, a stroke and dehydration – was delayed because of a lack of space on the ferry.
Some say they are considering leaving the island because the services are so bad, and that this is affecting recruitment of doctors, teachers and vets.
Jackie Devonshire, 71, has lived on the island for five years but ‘can’t wait’ to move away. ‘I went to see a specialist in February who was offered the position here and he told me he wouldn’t accept it because it would separate him from his family,’ she said.
The Mail has contacted Wightlink and Red Funnel for comment.