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Assistance for Customers with Special Needs
Crossing the Solent with Red Funnel should be an enjoyable experience for
all our passengers. From the moment you make your booking, our staff are
there to ensure your time spent with us is a pleasant and safe one. In
addition, our facilities, whether at our terminals or on board our vessels,
are designed with the needs of you in mind.
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Making your booking
Vehicle reservations can be made by telephone, letter, in person or via this
website. Please let the Travel Centre know if you require assistance prior
to travelling.
If you are booking an Isle of Wight Holiday, our brochure clearly indicates
accommodation suitable for physically disabled people. Our staff will be
happy to give you further information (Tel: 0870 444 8890).
Please note our Hi-Speed passenger service between Southampton and West
Cowes is non-bookable. The Red Jet's aircraft-style accommodation makes
them less suitable for wheelchair access, although passengers in
wheelchairs may travel at the discretion of the Commander. Prior
notification to travel on this service is recommended (Tel: 023 8072 4508).
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On arrival at the terminal
If travelling by car, please go to the lane as directed by terminal staff
and advise them if you are a wheelchair user and need to use your
wheelchair on board. Please let them know if you would like to be parked
near the lift, or if you require any other form of assistance. An orange
marker is placed on your car to indicate to the ship's crew that you will
require assistance. The terminal areas are flat with accessible toilet
facilities available in the terminal.
Vehicle passengers unable to use the ships' stairs will be parked as near
to the on-board lift as possible. Alternatively, they may board as foot
passengers. Please ask terminal staff for help. A wheelchair and personal
assistance is available for passengers at either end of their ferry journey.
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Whilst On Board
The on board facilities (café, bar, shop and toilets) offer good access to wheelchair users, the only exception is the upper deck area.
If you require any assistance during your journey, please contact the On Board Services Officer, located at the Bureau, or alternatively ask any member of staff.
Important safety information for hearing-impaired passengers
We realise that not all impairments are visible. We rely heavily on the ship's public address (PA) system to communicate important safety
information. In addition, it may also be used during the voyage to promote any facilities, etc. Any message over the PA system is preceded by a "bing-bong". At the start of your trip, the following pre-recorded message is broadcast.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard. Please listen very carefully to the following safety announcement. In the unlikely event of an emergency, you
will hear a continuous ringing of the ship's alarm bells. Additionally, the Master may make an announcement over this public address system.
Remain calm and proceed to the nearest Muster Station. Muster Stations are clearly marked by a green sign depicting a family group. They are located on 'B' deck in the main lounges and on 'A' deck outside.
Should it become necessary, the ship's crew will issue life jackets located at the Muster Stations and evacuate the vessel down the stairwells marked by the flashing exit signs. This vessel is equipped with life jackets and buoyant apparatus which, in the event of abandonment, will be boarded from the bottom of the stairwells at car deck level. Lifebuoys are also available.
May we remind you that passengers are not permitted onto the car deck during the voyage. Thank you for your attention".
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The On-Board Services Officer may then make an announcement concerning the location and availability of the on-board shop, bar and café.
At the end of the trip, the following announcement will be made:
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please. We will shortly be arriving in Southampton/Cowes. Will all vehicle drivers and passengers please return to their vehicles. In the interests of safety, may I advise passengers when returning to the car deck, to hold the hand rails and take extreme care at all times.
I should like to remind passengers that smoking is strictly forbidden on the car deck and drivers are requested not to start their engines until instructed to do so. If stowed on the movable car deck, please ensure that car doors are closed before the deck is lowered.
Please refrain from using mobile phones until clear of the terminal. Foot passengers are requested to remain seated until the ship is alongside.
I should like to take this opportunity to thank you for travelling with Red Funnel and wish you all a safe onward journey."
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If you feel you would be unable to hear these or other announcements clearly, the On-Board Services Officer will be happy to assist you.
Please make yourself known at the Bureau on arrival so that our staff can assist you in the event of an emergency.
If you are travelling alone, you will be assisted by a member of staff. In any emergency, report to the Bureau, where you will be met and assisted for the duration of any such emergency.
As already mentioned, an emergency will usually be accompanied by the ringing of the ship's alarm, which is extremely loud! Your fellow passengers will move towards the Muster Stations. At this point, make your way to the Bureau.
Emergency situations are extremely rare. Our crews exercise regularly and our safety procedures are routinely tested and audited by the Marine & Coastguard Agency.
We are accredited with International Safety Management Code standards for shipboard safety and prevention of pollution.
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At the end of your journey
If you require assistance on disembarkation, either with wheelchair assistance or help with your luggage, please ask at the Bureau.
If you need to take extra time to make your way back to the car deck again, please tell us in good time.
Taxi ranks are available at all our terminals to assist with your onward journey - some taxis are wheelchair accessible. In Southampton, the green CityLink buses are all fitted with wheelchair ramps and two dedicated wheelchair bays.
We hope you find this information useful and that it helps to make your journey a pleasant one. Have a Good Voyage!
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