MP in bid to stop ferry firms leaving islanders high and dry

Ferries which connect island communities to mainland Britain are in decline, an MP has warned in his push to bring boats more in line with buses and trains.

Joe Robertson said the Isle of Wight’s 140,400 residents have little say over how ferries are run across the Solent to Hampshire.

He has tabled the Ferry Services (Integration and Regulation) Bill which, if agreed, would set up a framework for regulating boat routes throughout the country.

Bus and train operators must follow several laws, such as the new Bus Services Act this month, which gives councils the power to guard “socially necessary” routes from sudden cuts.

But there is “no accountability or control over pricing or any aspect of the way” ferries are run, Mr Robertson told the PA news agency.

The Conservative MP said: “The ferry companies could in theory close up shop, sell off the land for housing and call it a day if that was more profitable.

“I suspect, if they tried to do that, the Government would be forced to step in and do something.

“But there is no obligation they have to anyone, so that means we’ve got prices like £400 return to bring a car back and forth on peak weekends.”

Mr Robertson said “diminished” timetables and higher costs put off young families from wanting to move to the island and deter tourists, “shutting off the island economy”.

The companies are “exchanged between private equity groups”, he added, which are allowed to set their own timetables and pricing structures, such as surge pricing with higher fares when the ferries are busiest.

“I don’t want to find that when I want to travel to see friends, family, go to a funeral, that I’m spending £300 because it happens to be the same weekend that tourists are coming to the island, happens to be half-term, for example,” Mr Robertson said.

“If we talk about a holiday abroad, paying for an airline, we probably accept that your right to go to whatever destination you want to go to is not absolute, and if you want to do it at a popular time, you’ve got to pay because it’s a holiday.

“To the Isle of Wight, we’re talking about people going to funerals, people going to weddings, people going to see friends and families, people going to see a mother or a grandmother who’s ill suddenly.

“And, of course, the ferry companies say, ‘well, if you book in advance, it’s much cheaper’.

“Well, you know, sometimes you don’t know when your grandmother’s going to fall ill. She doesn’t notify you two months in advance she’s going to fall ill on December 3.

“So, their attitude doesn’t seem to understand the realities of living on the island.”

Mr Robertson also said his Bill could be used to line up ferry and train timetables at Ryde, in his Isle of Wight East constituency, and Portsmouth.

Wightlink, which operates up to 140 sailings every day, operating 364 days a year, admitted tourism had declined over the past 20 years.

“We actively gather customer feedback through ‘meet the team’ events, conversations with local MPs and customer reviews, and we welcome direct dialogue on how we can continue to improve our services,” company chief executive officer Katy Taylor said.

“Currently, 90% of island resident journeys use fixed price or discounted tickets. Multilink vehicle passes start from £31.35, foot passenger passes from £7 and season tickets from £6.25 per day.

“This summer, we also introduced a £40 fixed price vehicle ticket exclusively for residents.”

A Red Funnel Ferries spokesperson said: “For nearly 165 years, Red Funnel has been a ‘lifeline provider’ to Isle of Wight residents.

“We take this extremely seriously and continue to be very proud of the way we support islanders with a vital connection to and from the mainland.

“Each year, we operate over 26,000 crossings and have invested heavily to improve our service including offering islanders discounted travel on up to 20 crossings per day.

“We welcome discussion on any measures that would support the vital connection we provide to and from the mainland.”

Mr Robertson is set to introduce his Bill in the Commons on Wednesday November 5.