Many thanks to David Nove for this report on yesterday’s Wightlink fare increase debacle. Ed
Last week the Chief Executive of Wightlink had an article published in the County Press. He kind of skated over the Ryde Pier fiasco concentrating instead on the Company’s continuing battle with some Lymington residents over the future of the new ferries serving Yarmouth.
Unaccountably he failed to mention changes to ticket prices for students on the Yarmouth/Lymington service that were due to come into force from 1 January.
There are some 50 students from the West Wight who go to Brockenhurst College. Last term Wightlink allowed those students who are over 16 to pay Children’s fares. The cost of a weekly season ticket was £22.60 and a 30 day one about £82.
Students greeted by massive increase
This week when the students went to pay they were told the cost had gone up for a weekly ticket to £47.50 and a 30 day one to £171.50. Holders of annual tickets were told that they could claim a refund covering the periods of the Spring and Summer terms at the old rate but they would have to purchase a new annual ticket at the inflated rate.
Not surprisingly parents objected to swingeing increases of this nature. Andrew Turner said unless Wightlink had a rethink he would write to the Office of Fair Trading. Brockenhurst College got involved as did BBC South Today, Isle of Wight and Radio Solent.
Wightlink climbdown
In a remarkable climb down, Wightlink said it was postponing the fare rises until the start of the new academic year in September. This has removed one of the main grievances of the parents namely no notice of the changes being given.
However this does also mean that students in their first year at 6th form face these daunting prices from the Autumn Term this year. It is worth adding that in addition to ferry costs students pay to travel by train from Lymington to Brockenhurst and we all know rail fares have shot up.
And the reasons given ….
It has been difficult to get an explanation from Wightlink about why these changes are happening. In a statement read out on South Today, the Company claims it is trying to simplify the fare structure.
There have also been claims that the existing student concessions have been abused though the nature of these sins has not been specified. Surely the remedy is to deal with the abuses rather than clobber people with a 100% fare increase.
I suppose you could argue that students should go to college here on the Island but this rather flies in the face of so called parental choice s promoted by assorted politicians.
It has always amazed me given that we all have to use the ferries to get to and from the mainland that the Companies are not subject to some form of regulatory control in the way train operators are.
Image: bortescristian under CC BY 2.0
