resumption of travel for foot passengers between Calais and Dover
The transport service offered for travelers on foot by the shipping company reopened this Friday, June 17, after three months of suspension. Four to five daily rotations are carried out by two ships of the British company.
After three months of deprivation, travelers find their Calais-Dover line. A From this Friday, June 17, it will once again be possible to cross the Channel as a simple pedestrian on P&O Ferries boats. The shipping company has rellaunched its link for individuals, suspended since March 17, after the dismissal with immediate effect of 800 British sailors.
On the company website, the price of a round trip for one person ranges from 24 euros (non-refundable basic ticket) to 104 euros (refundable standard ticket). But beware, these prices depending on the period chosen, as well as supply and demand. To date, P&O Ferries is the only company to offer this service for foot passengers on the Calais-Dover line.
“It’s good news, rejoices the Calais Côte d’Opale tourist office. Because many people, who were not aware of the situation, found themselves in complicated situations to manage, with an impossibility of going to England or France. Sometimes we had to lend them bikes so they could get on a boat.” This crossing is particularly popular with travelers from all over the world.
So far, only two of the British company’s three ships in circulation are accessible to foot passengers. It’s about Pride of Kentwhich performs 3 rotations per day on weekdays then 2 on Sundays, and from The spirit of Brittany which performs 2 daily rotations. The crossing takes between 1h30 and 2h, depending on the ferry.
For the rest, traffic at P&O Ferries is not yet running at full speed, despite the recovery initiated on April 27. According to the Voice of the North, the Pride of Canterbury which continued to make two daily round trips should increase to three rotations from Saturday June 18. As for the The spirit of Francefourth boat of the company, in maintenance in Rotterdam for several months, a return is planned “by the end of July” announces the communication department of the Port of Calais. This will announce a return to normal for the company, after several months of turbulence.
As a reminder, P&O Ferries had suspended all of its traffic (freight and individuals) between Calais and Dover after the announcement, on March 17, of the sudden dismissal – including several hundred by videoconference – of 800 employees on its boats, replaced by contract workers on much less advantageous terms.