THEY are both pensioners who want to cross the same stretch of water between Southampton and the New Forest.

However, Don Harper and Ted Vaughan have very different experiences of using the Hythe Ferry.

Ted lives in Dibden Purlieu and thanks to an agreement his local authority - New Forest District Council - has made, he doesn't have to pay a penny to make the 12-minute journey.

Don, on the other hand, lives in Southampton and has to spend £2.80 every time he wants to make the return journey to Hythe and back.

Raw deal It's a discrepancy that has been making waves among pensioners in the city, who feel they are on the receiving end of a raw deal.

Hythe ferry has provided a vital route between the Waterside and Southampton for centuries.

A succession of vessels have witnessed the departure of the Titanic, the heyday of the transatlantic liners, King George VI's royal visit prior to D-Day and the recent rapid growth of the docks.

It has remained a popular route and at this time of year up to 14,000 passengers a week make the short journey. Of those, up to 3,000 are pensioners.

Since April, pensioners in Hampshire have been able to travel for free on the ferry as part of the Countywide Farepass initiative, which offers free travel to residents who are disabled or aged over 60.

The majority of local authorities - including New Forest, Eastleigh, Winchester, Test Valley and Portsmouth - signed up to the scheme devised by Hampshire County Council.

However, Southampton City Council chose not to opt in and is operating a different scheme, which provides free travel only within its city boundary.

It means OAPs from the city have to pay to use the ferry, while residents living miles away can travel for free.

A standard day return for an OAP currently costs £2.80.

Of the 3,000 pensioners who use the ferry every week, about half are covered by the Farepass agreement while the other half have to fork out for the journey.