Crawley to Ryde (inc. Isle of Wight ferry)

[grove]

What is currently the cheapest way of travelling to Ryde, with a Railcard including the ferry? If I use the journey planner it just returns "No results found". Have inclusive ferry tickets been discontinued?

Thanks.

 

[JonathanH]

Through fares still exist from Crawley
https://www.brfares.com/!fares?orig=CRW&dest=RYD&rlc=NEW
https://www.brfares.com/!fares?orig=CRW&dest=XRD&rlc=NEW

https://ticket.southernrailway.com/...eapest=no&step=outward-service&tocSpecific=no
https://ticket.southernrailway.com/...ionalRoutes=no&showCheapest=no&tocSpecific=no

The first link gives the Wightlink service, the second the Hovercraft.

 

[Gloster]

Bear in mind that there are no trains along Ryde Pier, just a taxi service on which rail tickets are valid.

 

[JonathanH]

Bear in mind that there are no trains along Ryde Pier, just a taxi service on which rail tickets are valid.

Or walking, for most users.

 

[grove]

Through fares still exist from Crawley
https://www.brfares.com/!fares?orig=CRW&dest=RYD&rlc=NEW
https://www.brfares.com/!fares?orig=CRW&dest=XRD&rlc=NEW

https://ticket.southernrailway.com/journeys-list/CRW/RYD/2023-03-05T10:15/2023-03-05T16:45/1//NEWx1?avoid=XRD&departNow=no&realTime=no&searchPreferences=,,,&showAdditionalRoutes=no&showCheapest=no&step=outward-service&tocSpecific=no
https://ticket.southernrailway.com/...ionalRoutes=no&showCheapest=no&tocSpecific=no

The first link gives the Wightlink service, the second the Hovercraft.

Thank you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Mar 2023 ==

Bear in mind that there are no trains along Ryde Pier, just a taxi service on which rail tickets are valid.

Hmm. I will have a bike!

 

[Gloster]

Thank you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Mar 2023 ==


Hmm. I will have a bike!

All the taxis that I have seen seem to be of the people-carrier size, so probably not big enough for a cycle. “On yer bike.”

 

[Graham H]

Check the hovercraft option. Through fares were generally cheaper than the ferry last time I went and the bus link from Potsmouth and Southsea station isnt that onerous

 

[JonathanH]

Check the hovercraft option. Through fares were generally cheaper than the ferry last time I went and the bus link from Potsmouth and Southsea station isnt that onerous

You do need to be careful with the hovercraft option though that there is capacity on board. In theory you are meant to book a space ahead when using rail tickets. If you turn up at either end without a reservation for the hovercraft you may not be able to board if they have sold their own tickets.

 

[hermit]

Check the hovercraft option. Through fares were generally cheaper than the ferry last time I went and the bus link from Potsmouth and Southsea station isnt that onerous

Also check whether the Hoverbus takes bikes; though you could probably beat it to the terminal anyway.

Be careful when buying your ticket, and in particular don’t take any notice of advice from Southern staff. One of my recent visitors was ‘helped’ by a staff member at Victoria who saw he was struggling with the ticket machine. The ticket that emerged was ‘via the Hovercraft’, presumably because that was the cheapest. On being asked whether that was valid via Wightlink, the staff member breezily said that it was. Of course, on arrival at Portsmouth Harbour, boarding was refused and my visitor had to go to the Wightlink ticket office in a panic to get a ferry ticket. Not the first visitor of mine that this has happened to. Fortunately on this occasion Wightlink held the ferry, and a two-hour wait was avoided.

 

[JonathanH]

The ticket that emerged was ‘via the Hovercraft’, presumably because that was the cheapest.

The hovercraft is now quite a bit cheaper for through tickets, but more complicated for capacity considerations.

 

[grove]

You do need to be careful with the hovercraft option though that there is capacity on board. In theory you are meant to book a space ahead when using rail tickets. If you turn up at either end without a reservation for the hovercraft you may not be able to board if they have sold their own tickets.

Thank you, that is an important point! Sounds like their booking systems are not integrated. Important things to make public transport seamless and more user accessible.

 

[JonathanH]

Thank you, that is an important point! Sounds like their booking systems are not integrated. Important things to make public transport seamless and more user accessible.

I am not trying to warn you off as such. My experience was on a Saturday.

When I got to the Southsea hover terminal having not booked, I simply got put in another queue so had lower priority than people who had booked or paid hovertravel direct.

At the Ryde end, I was told the next 'flight' was full and to come back in an hour, but came back in 30 minutes and was allowed to board.

The same issues don't really apply on the Wightlink sailings as far as I know.

 

[Capvermell]

You do need to be careful with the hovercraft option though that there is capacity on board. In theory you are meant to book a space ahead when using rail tickets. If you turn up at either end without a reservation for the hovercraft you may not be able to board if they have sold their own tickets.

I have made around 20 return journeys to Ryde Hoverport and never seen the need to pre book or the hovercraft being full up raised as an issue when I travel. They did however tell me that they don't like accepting electronic rail tickets to Ryde Hoverport rather than conventional paper tickets, even though they still hand the ticket back to you after stamping it as used.

If the hovercraft was full the worst that could happen would be they asked you to go on the next one and the last hovercraft of the day is never full so the issue doesn't arise there either.

The journey only takes 10 minutes so if they had a freak increase in passengers I'm sure they could just run an extra trip as most of the day the second hovercraft merely seems to be standing in reserve and they only use both of them at the same time in opposite directions during the rush hour period.

The main issue using the hovercraft is that a lot of rail company ticket machines like SouthWestern's don't show Ryde Hoverport as a destination. This also used to be true of Southern ticket's machines but I got the issue fixed by Andy Wakeford of Rail Delivery Group after a www.ceoemail.com level complaint with Southern. It does however seem disappointing that RDG has not yet fixed the missing Ryde Hoverport destination issues with all rail company's ticket machines and in particular SouthWestern's as the rail operator for Portsmouth & Southsea where the Hoverbus included in a rail ticket to Ryde Hoverport runs from.

 

[Capvermell]

The same issues don't really apply on the Wightlink sailings as far as I know.

The Wightlink FastCat and car ferries have larger capacities so on the whole are usually not ever full for foot passengers on especially the car ferries and most of the time on the Fastcat too but it must happen occasionally.

However I would imagine that on Redjet journeys from Southampton to West Cowes the same issue of the Redjet (which only has a fairly limited capacit although more than the hovercraft) being full up with its own ticketed passengers compared to rail ticketed ones could periodically arise........

On the whole being refused admission with a rail ticket does not seem to be a very frequent problem and if used with a railcard the through rail ticketed journeys are a lot cheaper than booking directly with the ferry operator.

 

[Capvermell]

Bear in mind that there are no trains along Ryde Pier, just a taxi service on which rail tickets are valid.

But if you travel to Ryde Hoverport you don't need to travel down the pier as the hovercraft arrives at the Hoverport that is on the esplanade.

If travelling via the Wightlink Fastcat however you are only entitled to use the ex underground trains down the pier (normally) to Ryde Esplanade or use the replacement taxi service (currently while rail service works are completed) if you have a more expensive ticket to Ryde Esplanade rather than only a ticket to Ryde Pierhead. This is yet another respect in which the already cheaper through rail tickets to Ryde Hoverport win out over the Wightlink Fastcat service. On the other hand the Fastcat has an outside open deck you can sit on if its a nice day and the Hovercraft is entirely enclosed

 

[Gloster]

The Cats do have the advantage that they (effectively) go from the station concourse at Portsmouth Harbour, rather than adding an extra leg to your journey as you get from the hovercraft terminal to the station. And at Ryde you also have the option of walking along the Pier.

 

[Capvermell]

The Cats do have the advantage that they (effectively) go from the station concourse at Portsmouth Harbour, rather than adding an extra leg to your journey as you get from the hovercraft terminal to the station. And at Ryde you also have the option of walking along the Pier.

I notice that if I get the 9.50am train from Ockley to Portsmouth & Southsea to connect with the Hoverbus to the Hoverport I end up arriving at Ryde Hoverport on the Esplanade 11 minutes earlier than I get to the Esplanade after connecting at Ryde Pierhead from the Wightlink Fastcat.

Coming back the situation is much the same with the journey on the Hovercraft from Ryde Hoverport to Ockley being 12 minutes quicker than starting on Ryde Esplanade.

So the Hovertravel hovercraft is both quicker and cheaper...........

 

[K.o.R]

The main issue using the hovercraft is that a lot of rail company ticket machines like SouthWestern's don't show Ryde Hoverport as a destination.

Also Southsea Hoverport doesn't exist as a destination at all, which is a shame because being able to get down to Clarence Pier would be a useful journey option.

 

[Capvermell]

Also Southsea Hoverport doesn't exist as a destination at all, which is a shame because being able to get down to Clarence Pier would be a useful journey option.

Good point. This does seem strange or like a poor business decision given how few passengers (usually no more than five or six at most) tend to use the Hoverbus, even on a pretty full up Hovertravel crossing.

But as I recall it you also can't buy ticket from Ryde Hoverport to just Portsmouth & Southsea because if you are only going that far Hovertravel wants you to buy one of their tickets and get local buses and not buy a cheaper rail ticket that includes the Hoverbus.....

This is leaving aside the fact that SouthWestern Railway also won't sell you a ticket to Ryde Hoverport at all on their ticket machines even though Southern Railway will sell you one.

 

[Alex365Dash]

Also Southsea Hoverport doesn't exist as a destination at all, which is a shame because being able to get down to Clarence Pier would be a useful journey option.

Good point. This does seem strange or like a poor business decision given how few passengers (usually no more than five or six at most) tend to use the Hoverbus, even on a pretty full up Hovertravel crossing.

But as I recall it you also can't buy ticket from Ryde Hoverport to just Portsmouth & Southsea because if you are only going that far Hovertravel wants you to buy one of their tickets and get local buses and not buy a cheaper rail ticket that includes the Hoverbus.....

This is leaving aside the fact that SouthWestern Railway also won't sell you a ticket to Ryde Hoverport at all on their ticket machines even though Southern Railway will sell you one.

Isn't PlusBus valid on the Hoverbus considering that it's operated by Stagecoach, a participating operator? It's not in the list of excluded services...
...not quite the same thing, but I've also used a Solent Go day ticket on it before.

 

[Capvermell]

Isn't PlusBus valid on the Hoverbus considering that it's operated by Stagecoach, a participating operator? It's not in the list of excluded services...
...not quite the same thing, but I've also used a Solent Go day ticket on it before.

Only way to find out is to ask either Hovertravel customer services or an actual Hoverbus bus driver.

www.plusbus.info/portsmouth says :-

A Portsmouth PlusBus ticket gives you unlimited bus travel on participating operators’ services, around the whole urban area of Portsmouth and Southsea, as shown by the travel maps (below).

Participating operators:
First, Stagecoach.

 

[Capvermell]

Southsea Hoverport is considered a valid destination at www.nationalrail.co.uk for timetable information but the system appears unable to quote any fares for journeys either terminating or originating at Southsea Hoverport.

 

[Alex365Dash]

Only way to find out is to ask either Hovertravel customer services or an actual Hoverbus bus driver.

www.plusbus.info/portsmouth says :-

A Portsmouth PlusBus ticket gives you unlimited bus travel on participating operators’ services, around the whole urban area of Portsmouth and Southsea, as shown by the travel maps (below).

Participating operators:
First, Stagecoach.

I’ll let you know when Stagecoach South get back to me

Last time I got in touch with them with a ticketing enquiry by email, I got a response within 2 hours!

 

[Capvermell]

Southsea Hoverport is considered a valid destination at www.nationalrail.co.uk for timetable information but the system appears unable to quote any fares for journeys either terminating or originating at Southsea Hoverport.

 

[Haywain]

the system appears unable to quote any fares for journeys either terminating or originating at Southsea Hoverport.

Probably because there are no such fares, I would expect.

 

[Capvermell]

I’ll let you know when Stagecoach South get back to me

I will be interested to know if they do get back to you and even if they do I wouldn't like to rely on their reply compared to what a Hoverbus driver on the ground or Hovertravel customer services say.

Even though I have been in Portsmouth with a Plusbus ticket several times in the last year I have only ever got back to Portsmouth Harbour Station from South Parade Pier on one of the regular local buses and generally if I have got as far as Clarence Pier on foot then its on a day with nice weather when I haven't bought the Plusbus add on so I just continue to walk on foot to Portsmouth Harbour.

The only times I have travelled on the Hoverbus I have always had a rail ticket to Ryde Hoverport, which unsurprisingly has always been accepted.

But I have seen quite a lot of people with Hovertravel tickets who have paid cash or with a card to travel on the Hoverbus as Hovertravel's own tickets don't seem to include it.

 

[Capvermell]

Probably because there are no such fares, I would expect.

For some odd reason on the Southern Rail website you can't buy a ticket from Ryde Hoverport to Portsmouth Harbour or Portsmouth & Southsea stations but you can buy one to Fratton (only a mile or less away from Portsmouth & Southsea Station). So it seems like there's some kind of commercial restrictive agreement in place to try to force people just crossing from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight to buy separate tickets from Hovertravel and the Hoverbus and to not use through rail tickets where the prices can also be discounted by one third using a railcard.

On top of which SouthWestern's ticket machines don't offer Ryde Hoverport as a ticketing destination at all (which also used to be true of Southern's ticket machines but no longer is after I complained about it at high level) even though you can buy a ticket to Ryde Hoverport from the ticket windows at those stations.

 

[K.o.R]

PlusBus was how the lady in the ticket office eventually managed to find me a way to get to Southsea Hoverport only so, yes, PlusBus is valid on the Hoverbus.

 

[Capvermell]

PlusBus was how the lady in the ticket office eventually managed to find me a way to get to Southsea Hoverport only so, yes, PlusBus is valid on the Hoverbus.

I wasn't sure as I found Plusbus definitely wasn't valid on the sightseeing bus in Brigton when I was down there recently and had a Plusbus rail add on ticket.

It seems that the Hoverbus must be seen as being more like a normal bus route that calls at the Hoverport, Portsmouth & Southsea Station, Portsmouth Harbour Station and a few other intermediate stops rather than being a specialist tourist only bus (with a much higher fare) not intended for normal bus users.

 

[Haywain]

So it seems like there's some kind of commercial restrictive agreement in place to try to force people just crossing from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight to buy separate tickets from Hovertravel and the Hoverbus and to not use through rail tickets

It doesn't seem unreasonable to expect a rail ticket to include an element of rail travel.