SANDBANK POOLE HARBOUR FERRY FARES INCREASE

From 1 April, motor vehicle fares on the Sandbanks to Shell Bay chain ferry across the mouth of Poole Harbour have increased.

The Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company, to give it’s full title, previously raised tolls a year ago and the cost of a single journey by car has now risen from £4.10 to £4.30, although a higher price rise was originally planned.

Fares for pedestrians, bicycles and motorbikes on the five minute crossing remain unchanged. These increases, approved by the Department for Transport, are part of a plan implemented in 2014 to raise fares over a three year period.

The increased revenue will cover the cost of re-surfacing the private 2.5 mile Ferry Road leading to the Shell Bay slipway and build a reserve to fund a replacement ferry sometime in the future.

The current ferry, Bramble Bush Bay, entered service in January 1994 and operates every day of the year.