Little Ferry Company will return this summer

Monday 25 February 2019

Alderney's Policy & Finance Committee have agreed to re-subsidise the Little Ferry Company for 2019.

It will run for slightly longer this year, starting at the end of May through to the end of September.

And while James Dent, the Chairman of P&F, said it was not expected to make a great deal of money even with the subsidy, he said the company did a great job of bringing people to Alderney during the summer months.

"We are subsiding them with the same sum per rotation this year, but they are starting slightly earlier, so it will come to a total of around £130,000," he said.

"I think that 2018 was a success in terms of bringing visitors to Alderney. The commercial position was marginal, so we decided they definitely needed the subsidy again."

Last year, the ferry company started its service later into the summer, and while Mr Dent said they did not expect a huge amount of people to use the ferry in the shoulder months, he said they still expected a good uptake come June and July. 

In September last year, the company behind the ferry said they were "humbled and blown away" by the support they had received. In 2018, it received £77,000 of subsidy (for less journeys), and put their success down to the weather and support of islanders. 

The success was seen across Alderney, as bookings for things like camping rose across the summer months. 

It operated with a fixed price return rate of £40 per person, with other standard charges for a single trip and options for pets and bikes, a price made possible by the subsidy. 

The 11-week trial operation last year was clearly deemed a success - one that it will look to repeat this year. 

Pictured top: The Little Ferry Company's boat.