East Cowes Town Council last night voted to reject the proposed increase in Floating Bridge fares and called on the Isle of Wight Council’s Economy, Regeneration, Transport and Infrastructure Committee to reject the officer recommendation when it meets on Tuesday evening.
Town council calls for alternatives
The town council’s resolution describes the proposed increases – for motorists, foot passengers and under-19s – as “unjustified,” noting that “concerns remain regarding the reliability, performance and affordability of the service.”
It asks the committee to refer the matter to the Floating Bridge working group to consider alternatives “that minimise the impact on residents, businesses and other users of the service.” A second resolution asks the committee to recommend that priority be given to a long-term solution for crossing the Medina, “including implementation of its policy agreement to replace the current Floating Bridge.”
Councillor Jock Rafferty (Cowes North), who sits on the committee and attended last night’s meeting, will ask officers on Tuesday to withdraw the two fare proposals until the evidence behind them has been published.
What the committee is being asked to approve
The committee is being asked to recommend a package of 2027/28 savings to the Policy, Finance and Resources Committee. Proposal 8 would raise fares “to align with Dartmouth Lower Ferry,” stated to bring in £820,584 a year and rated Green for deliverability. Proposal 9 would charge under-19s £1 to cross between 7pm and 7am, raising £6,400.
The covering report says the figures “have to be considered indicative at present” and that implementation “would be subject to further detailed analysis, consultation where appropriate, equality impact assessment, and formal decision-making processes.” No tariff, demand modelling or equality assessment is included in the papers.
Questions over the 25 per cent assumption
Officers have since confirmed to committee members that the £820,584 assumes a quarter of current users will stop using the crossing once prices rise, described in their own words as “our assumed rate.”
No evidence for the assumption has been provided. The calculation as described to members applies that reduction only to the increase in fares; it does not appear to remove the fares currently paid by the users assumed to leave.
Councillor Rafferty said,
“Officers have told members that a quarter of today’s users are expected to stop crossing. That isn’t a finding, it’s an assumption, and the committee has been shown nothing to support it. And when you look at how the sum is done, the fares those people pay today don’t seem to have been taken off.
“I’ll be asking on Tuesday where they’ve gone.
“The report itself says these figures are indicative and I can’t see how any member could recommend them to Policy and Finance as if they were settled.”
Dartmouth comparison
Dartmouth Lower Ferry’s published tariff shows a regular foot passenger there pays £1.00 a crossing on a 40-trip pass, and a regular car user pays £2.00 which is less than the £2.50 that Cowes regulars already pay on a Saver Card.
Councillor Rafferty said,
“If aligning with Dartmouth means what it says, regular drivers in Cowes and East Cowes would pay less than they do today.
“I doubt that’s the intention, which is exactly why members need to see the actual proposed fares before voting on them.
“What will a care worker crossing twice a day on a Saver Card pay from next April? The paper doesn’t say.”
“The Floating Bridge is not a tourist ferry”
On the town council’s decision, he said,
“East Cowes has spoken clearly. This is the community that depends on the crossing most, and it has told the council that charging people more for a service that doesn’t meet its own standard is the wrong answer.
“The Floating Bridge is not a tourist ferry. It is a public transport link between two towns, and when you price regular users off it they don’t disappear, they drive round through Newport.
“The council decided to replace this vessel in March 2024 and again in October 2025, and set a standard of five return crossings an hour. That decision comes back in January and Tuesday’s vote shouldn’t make it for us.”
Meeting details
The committee meets at 5pm on Tuesday 6th October 2026 in the Council Chamber, County Hall, Newport.
The meeting is open to the public.
News shared by Jock Raffety on behalf of Cowes Tow Council. Ed
