Isle of Wight loocals say they are feel “cut off from society” with ferry return trips to the mainland costing up to £440 during peak tourist times. Residents of the island off the south coast of England, which is also a popular tourist hotspot for Brits, are complaining about the high prices that ferry companies are charging to cross the Solent, as well as claiming that the services can be unreliable. Some locals claim the expensive ferry tickets, which they say can cost up to £440 during busy times like Cowes Week and the Isle of Wight Festival, have a knock-on effect on their access to emergency healthcare and deter more essential services from setting up on the island.
Wightlink and Red Funnel are the two major companies that run passenger and vehicle ferry services from ports in Lymington, Southampton, and Portsmouth to the island. The longest service is around an hour long. Isle of Wight residents told the MailOnline that fares just keep on “skyrocketing,” causing a divide between them and their families on the mainland and even prompting some to decide to move off the island.
Bronwyn Hamilton-Brown, a 62-year-old retired headteacher, set up the Facebook group Wightlink Users Group over a year and a half ago to campaign for better ferry services. It currently has over 8,000 members. “We are in a dreadful pickle because the ferries hold us to ransom.
People find it insanely difficult to get to appointments. It is an absolute scandal,” she said. The island h.