Letter to Joe Robertson

Dear Joe,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Wightlink Users Group (WUG) with regard to the appalling debacle of the Wightlink service failures on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st February which lead to multiple cancellations and delays of many hours for people travelling on the car ferry service between Portsmouth and Fishbourne.

Wightlink put the largest ship in the fleet into refit during what, apart from Christmas and New Year, must be one of the busiest weeks during the winter season. No doubt they will offer up some apparently credible reason for this timing but, at best, it nevertheless smacks of the most appalling incompetence. Those of a less generous mind might speculate that they got a good deal at the shipyard.

When one reads through the experiences that individuals have posted on the WUG Facebook site it is unsurprising to note the profound inconvenience and upset, as well as expense, that people have suffered. These will represent but a fraction of the reality as many people will not have the energy to write up their experiences or knowledge of our organisation.

For Wightlink there is no financial penalty for this catastrophic service failure. Of course, they suffer reputational damage but as their only comparable competitor is even worse than them this is almost certainly a matter to which they are completely indifferent.

They trumpet service reliability statistics that one views with a great deal of cynicism and their glossy numbers conceal the devastating effects of these service failures on the everyday lives of people and businesses relying on a timely, reliable and affordable service.

The inevitable effect of the unregulated duopoly service is one of a hollowing out of the financial and social fabric of the Isle of Wight. People cannot afford to commute due to cost and poor reliability, education and health establishments cannot recruit staff and work opportunities for the young are very limited.

The stark truth is that the Isle of Wight is being impoverished across all aspects of civilised life: socially, culturally, educationally, financially, and in so many other ways such as health, sport, and quite simply the freedom to travel without the anxiety of coping with a dysfunctional and failed transport system. Meanwhile the private equity companies who own these services laugh all the way to the bank.

We need high level intervention and I urge you to again take up the matter with the relevant ministers.

Yours Sincerely,

Mark Rogers