At the end of last week, an online petition was launched in direct response to Wightlink’s decision to cut many night time crossings .
The online campaign includes an open letter to Wightlink Chief Executive, Russell Kew asking him to “think again about cuts in services and fare increases”.
Wightlink say the cut to night time crossings is in response to low passenger numbers . They say the “affected sailings operate at very low capacity (on average, 93% empty for passengers and vehicle decks 80% empty) with staff often outnumbering passengers”.
The online petition currently has 945 signatures and many have also left comments.
“Greater strain on commercial and domestic purses”
Anthony Hathaway of Cowes says: “This will inevitably increase freight costs to and from the Island which will put a greater strain on commercial and domestic purses. I fully expect this cavalier attitude will add weight to the argument for a cross channel bridge, which will perhaps make all ferry companies consider their customers.”
“Pay through the nose for the privilege”
Kuki Waterstone in Gurnard posts: “How can any Islander nip across for an evening show and meal, if they can’t return home the same day? Also, the stress of catching a particular ferry is magnified for every extra hour one has to wait for the next one. Bring on the bridge; watch the ferry prices plummet.”
“Detrimental impact on my family life”
Shirley Smart of Newport explains: “We, the Island, will become more isolated.”
See the open letter and petition for more detail.
Social media comment Update: 12:46 14 Nov For readers not using social media, beside the 30+ ‘Likes’ the story got on Facebook , here are some of the reaction Islanders gave.
You can jump down to comments left here .
[View the story “FB reaction to Wightlink petition” on Storify ]
FB reaction to Wightlink petition
Storified by · Wed, Nov 14 2012 00:37:33
i cant understand some people, you cant run a business for free! fuel costs play a big part in this and also does the poor summer we have just had. island mentality for you.Gary Gales
yeh Island Mentality ,, we want a Service to suit island needs not some investors back pocket ,if there is no profit there should be no dividend for investors ,reduce the daytime sailings by one and put on a late night SERVICEAllan James Marsh Lrps
But gary, the boat companies are suppose to be providing a service and with the proposed changes they are not fulfilling that. Its not the costs that bother me so much, but the fact that we will no longer be able to get on and off the island throughout the night. If the costs were going up and the service was stayin the same, wouldnt be so bad. But how can they justify putting up cost AND cutting the service. This will impact work commuters, delivery services and island people will not be able to go to the mainland to see a show or go out without having to book a hotel and stay over night. I think Wightlink and others with similar views to you are the people who have this ‘island mentality’ you speak of!!Louise Bolton
No you can’t run a buisiness for free and rising ferry costs are killing island buisinesses! I’m now having to leave the island because I can’t afford to keep my buisiness on the island now that even parcelforce have raised their delivery costs to the island because of how much they are getting charged for the ferry. The people at the top of wightlink make a lot of profit. They aren’t exactly running at a loss….Maria Bennett
im disabled and got stuck in my wheelchair on the boarding ramp and they didnt care one bit!Sarah Rees
We have always traveled Red Funnel, better service, better Timetable and way cheaper fares.Zara Evelin Flynn
the problem i see is that wightlink have ferries that are too large for the crossings , if they scaled down the size of the ferries it would be cheaper on fuel costs for them and allow for ferries to be used correctly ……there is no point at all running a ship that size at off peak times, summer maybe yes but not all year round, what wightlink need to do is invest in smaller ferries !Darren Biodaz Cousins
Red Funnel is the better company…but still think that the fares they charge are so inflated….along with the prices they charge for the food they serve……Tony Pooley
The trouble is that we have a completely deregulated service.Susan Gibson
If the prices are fuel-cost related then how come it costs £98 to take a vehicle across the water and back (Lymington – Yarmouth = 35 mins…ish). Yet a return journey to the Isle of Man with your car from Birkenhead (a journey of 5 hours) costs, roughly, only 3 times that at £281Scott Newman
People cant expect the ferry company’s to run late at night with a handful of people on board just because they fancied a late night drink on the mainland. Yes I understand the prices are high on the car ferry but if they are not full or close to it then there is very little profit to be made. Its not just wightlink, other companys have or will be following suit.Gary Gales
Louise have you any idea how much it costs to run and maintain a vessel of this size?… I doubt it! Cuts are needed to maintain the route and more importantly the company itself. Wightlink are not simply going to back down to demands made by a handful of whingers with an island mentality.Gary Gales
Gary u r obviously some1 who thinks he doesn’t need 2 rely on wightlink . With their mainland links they r probably the most influential factor in EVERY aspect of island life . It’s not the so-called island mentality but a grasp of reality and the fact that the economy cannot survive without a proper and fairly priced transport link . It seems 2 me urs is the island mentality coz at this rate we will all b prisoners therefore needing 2 rely on our island mentality 2 survive !!! Mayb if u could look outside ur self centred bubble u may in fact back the" whingers " !!!!!!Shaun Jackson
As 4 the cuts 2 maintain the route mayb u could explain how 7 extra fast cats were removed from the timetable just days after the original "maintain the route" cuts were announced ? Less than a week later the originals weren’t enough !!!!! I look 4ward 2 u justifying that !!!!!!Shaun Jackson
FAO: Sarah Rees – Hi Sarah, please accept our apologies for the problems you experienced when boarding one of our vessels. Please can you email feedback@wightlink.co.uk with further details so we can investigate? Many thanksWightlink Ferries
I wonder if Wightlink have actual accountants and managers who can work out which services are profitable and if they should be run or do you think they rely on petitions and rants on internet sites to tell them what to do?Whilst I sympathise and have often used a 1:00 or 3:00 return sailing, in the same position, I don’t think I would run a service where the staff outnumber the passengers either.This is a business, not a charity.Steve Smith
I don’t think FAST CATS being removed helps anyone on the Isle….Removal of FAT cats maybe more beneficial. I may not have any inside informationon (?) on running costs of big vessels but being someone that works in and with a fair few of the community of the Isle, I think I can safely say, We "WHINGERS" are the MAJORITY and our "MENTALITY" is possibly the more community spirited. Like I said previously…If the Isle of Man ferries can do 5 hour crossings for around £290, why does it cost £98 for a journey that takes 10X less time??? Is it the BERTHING COSTS that make up the difference in costs. WE JUST WANT A FAIR PRICE….AS DO MOST OF THE HOLIDAYMAKERS.Scott Newman
no it is a public service which they knew when they borrowed millions to buyAllan James Marsh Lrps
Nice to see they are almost blaming "fighting the Lymington River Association" (which cost them £4.1 million) and not the lack of foresight in their decision to install bigger ferries that pass through a saltwater marshland reserve. Would have cost them a lot less if somebody had thought to check all avenues before coming to a decision like that.Scott Newman
Image: Mike Lawrence under CC BY 2.0
