Island passengers call for fresh fares inquiry (From Daily Echo)

Island passengers call for fresh fares inquiry

9:01am Monday 2nd April 2007

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HARD-PRESSED Solent commuters are calling for an inquiry into the inflation-busting costs of ferry travel between Southampton and the Isle of Wight.

The group Ferry Passengers for a Fair Deal are demanding that the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) investigate the costs of the Solent crossing, which they say is one of the most expensive in the British Isles.

The group points out that since 2004 the prices charged by operators Red Funnel and Wightlink for extended return tickets and season tickets have both gone up by between two and three times the rate of inflation.

The commission last investigated the cost of travel in 1991.

Since then additional services from Southampton and Portsmouth have both been axed.

Campaign spokesman, Liz Fletcher, said: "We want the Competition Commission and OFT to come and have another look which they promised to do 15 years ago.

"We just want to pay a fair price for our travel."

Miss Fletcher said her Red Funnel season ticket had gone up by 28 per cent since 2003, from £1,440 to £1,840.

"Last year my ticket went up by 10 per cent," she said. "It's getting to a financial pain threshold for a lot of us."

She said the group was not offering solutions but wanted to know there was no anti-competitive practice.

Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead has backed the campaign alongside Island MP Andrew Turner and Portsmouth North MP Sarah McCarthy-Fry.

Dr Whitehead said: "No transport operator should be allowed to abuse their position of market dominance to arbitrarily increase prices.

"There are certain factors, like the relative shallowness of the water between Southampton and the Island, that do increase the cost of running a ferry service between the two locations.

"But these factors do not explain the inflation-busting price increases since 2004."

A spokesman for Wightlink, which operates crossings from Lymington to Yarmouth, said: "Wightlink has periodically been reviewed by the OFT, which found no evidence of any abuse of a dominant position with regard to pricing.

"Wightlink offers an overall and varied package of fare options to its customers, covering every aspect of travel, from daily commuting to off peak options, and much in between"

Colin Hetherington, commercial director Red Funnel, which operates crossings between Southampton and East and West Cowes, said it had been committed to the Isle of Wight for nearly 150 years and always strived to provide a top service for all passengers. He said Red Funnel was also committed to providing the most cost effective service so all passengers benefited from consistently high standards.

He added: "The industry as a whole has faced a number of challenges including the doubling of fuel prices and an increase in operating costs.

"We have ensured , via regular reinvestment that we are providing a 24-hour high frequency ferry service and an 18 hour Red Jet service with the real cost of a season ticket coming in below inflation over the last 12 years."

The group has set up an online petition at www.competition4iowferries.blogspot.com.

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