As part of his campaign for better ferry services, Island MP Bob Seely has written to Wightlink to ask a series of questions.
In the letter, Mr Seely highlights the decline in Wightlink services, the levels of disruption caused by mechanical and maintenance issues, and the levels of debt.
He said that the decline in speed and frequency of services between 2001 and today has resulted in:
- A reduction in Ryde passenger sailings by up to 45 percent.
- A reduction in Fishbourne car ferry sailings by up to 38 percent.
- A reduction in Yarmouth car ferry sailings by up to 56 percent.
On levels of disruption, Mr Seely said that based on Wightlink’s Twitter travel updates, Wightlink services were disrupted by technical, mechanical, maintenance or staff issues on 59 days in the two years to 14 April 2024; 17 days were disrupted due to mechanical issues; 15 days due to technical issues; 15 days due to staff shortages; and 12 days due to maintenance. This does not include disruption due to weather, operational issues or emergencies.
This is likely to be an underestimate of the number of days disrupted, because Wightlink's travel updates on Twitter do not always record when revised timetables are in place.
The Island’s MP said, in recent years, Wightlink’s parent company, Arca Topco, continued to build up debt. On paper, since 2016, Arca Topco’s borrowings have increased from £212,468,000 to £261,593,000; over a quarter of a billion pounds worth of debt.
He said: “I am gathering evidence to show that both the ferry firms are letting Islanders down. We have worse and more expensive services, less frequent services and services that are more prone to disruption.
“This information is going to the Council and to the Government so that I can persuade both of them that we need change.
“As part of getting a better deal on the ferries, I want to see a common plan between the MP, Council and the Island as whole.”
