ALREADY widely
regarded as one of the
most expensive mile-formile
ferry crossings in
the world, tourists travelling
to the Isle of
Wight with ferry firm
Wightlink this weekend
will find the soaring cost
of oil has pushed prices
even higher.
Bosses blamed a 76 per cent
increase in the cost of oil for the
decision to introduce a fuel surcharge
on its routes from
Lymington to Yarmouth and from
Portsmouth to Ryde.
Southampton-based rival Red
Funnel said it had no plans to follow
Wightlink's lead.
The surcharge initially sees foot
passengers paying 20p extra,
while motorcycles face a 75p
increase, cars £1.50, coaches £3
and freight £2.25.
Because the surcharge is
designed to operate on a sliding
scale tied to the oil price, ticket
prices could climb still further. If
the price of oil reaches $125 a barrel,
motorists will pay £2.50 extra,
while goods vehicles will have to
find a further £3.75.
If the price falls back below $85 a
barrel, the surcharge will be lifted.
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Wightlink chief executive
Andrew Willson said: "Fuel is our
second biggest cost after staff, so
the recent steep rises in the price
of oil has had a major impact on
us. We increased our ticket prices
for 2008 by an average four per
cent, in line with inflation; and
have been holding back from
introducing a fuel surcharge in
the hope that fuel prices would fall
back to the levels anticipated in
our planning for 2008.
"Regrettably, since 2007, when
the price of oil averaged around
$65 per barrel, we have experienced
a near 70 per cent increase
in oil prices, which averaged
around $110 per barrel in April
2008. We are unfortunately left
with no choice but to apply a fuel
surcharge."
"We understand that our customers
are having to absorb price
rises in other areas such as food
and petrol; and we are committed
to reducing or removing the surcharge
when the price of oil falls
back to a manageable level."
Went to book a ticket today to find it is only a 50p saving if you take a motorcycle rather than a car on wightlink. Yet a bike gets placed in a area of the boat the cars dont use? The ferry charges are shear madness.
Went to book a ticket today to find it is only a 50p saving if you take a motorcycle rather than a car on wightlink. Yet a bike gets placed in a area of the boat the cars dont use? The ferry charges are shear madness.
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