I have lived on the Isle of Wight for eight years as this is where my partner and his work interests are based I have always found the ferry fares overly expensive to the extent that I feel they are a tax on visiting family and friends I rarely travel off the Island more than three times a year with my children as each fare leaves a significant hole in our family budgetMy motherinlaw who has lived on the island for more than 40 years recently told me she now feels trapped on the island because fares have risen so sharply in recent timesBoth sets of our parents are retired and will find it increasingly hard to be able to afford to either leave the island in one case or visit it in the otherIf fares were lower I know I would be travelling mroe frequentlyI also feel that the prohibitive costs of travelling across the Solent are likely to deter new business and therefore more jobs being attracted to the island People here particularly young people are often criticised for having low aspirations I believe that much of this could be put down to the fact that so many are unable to get off the island and see what the world beyond has to offerSome say we have two ferry companies and that this offers choice I disagree The Wightlink crossing from Fishbourne to Portsmouth is the only crossing of use to me To go via Red Funnel at Cowes means a longer journey time all round Longer from home to the ferry terminal a longer journey time on the ferry itself and then a longer journey by road to my destination South London Therefore I feel I have no choice but to travel by Wightlink They certainly have my market sown upI have always found staff on the ferries to be pleasant not always the staff at the terminals however but am horrified at the prices Wightlink charge for refreshments Almost £1 for a small packet of three measley biscuits It really is a rip offThe last time I travelled with Wightlink was to take my children for a three day stay with their grandparents it cost us £63 even before you factor in the cost of petrol etcI am also sure that the high cost of ferry fares here is the reason that some companies want to charge extorionate prices to deliver Some companies dont consider us as mainland UK Last Christmas a doll that a toy comany would have delivered to my parents in Purley Surrey for free wanted to charge more than £35 to deliver to the Isle of WightPeople living on the Island are at a huge disadvantage both socially and economically due to the stranglehold the ferry companies have on usPrior to the privatisation of the railway network I believe the Portsmouth Fishbourne route was run by Sealink which was part of the old British Rail Such a vital link should never have been put in private hands

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