Wightlink’s Multilink tickets – the only means Islanders have for fixing the price of a Wightlink ferry ticket to the Mainland – usually have a one year usage period.
Given we’ve all been locked down several times in the last year and generally have been unable to travel, News OnTheWight approached Wightlink to ask them:
“How much are you extending the Multilinks that people have brought? We know they’re usually to be used within 12 months, but guessing this has changed due to people not having been able to use their tickets during Covid.”
Wightlink’s response
Their response? As people were able to travel after 17th May this year, Wightlink won’t be extending the expiry date.
This somewhat ignores the fact that Islanders – and yes, it is only people who have an address on the Isle of Wight that can buy Multilink tickets – might have bought Multilink tickets after things looked like they were returning to normal last year, as some schools reopened on 1st June 2020.
Not long to use tickets within
This would only give them a number of months to use their Multilinks, as on 22nd September, the Government brought back Work from Home and restriction on movement became tighter. Then on 5th November the second Lockdown started.
Travel generally was officially discouraged, so clearly using any of those ferry tickets would have been very difficult, notwithstanding the third Lockdown starting on 6th January, 2021.
During June and July 2020, the cross-Solent operators received nearly £2 million of taxpayers money from the Government.
Extended last year but not this
Wightlink did add that, “During the last year [2020], Wightlink has extended Multilink Passes for more than 3,000 people.”
That, of course, was great for those people, but what about this year? This led to a follow up question to Wightlink:
“I guess the obvious question is – if Wightlink did it last year, why not this? Restrictions have only just recently become relaxed after all.”
Frankly we don’t understand the logic in their reply:
“Wightlink extended the duration of Multilink Pass tickets because non-essential travel had been forbidden. This changes from May 17.”
Unable to book crossings
Those who are stuck holding multilink tickets are left in a double quandary due to it being next to impossible to book a ferry with Wightlink, due to their flagship vessel, Victoria of Wight, being out of service.
The long and the short of it – if you bought multilink tickets last summer, when things first looked like they were getting back to normal, you’d better hurry up and use them before they run out, unless you want them to go to waste, as Wightlink won’t be helping you out.
