COMMUTERS say their journeys have been made a misery after a shuttle bus service connecting Red Funnel's ferry terminal on Town Quay, the city's rail station and WestQuay was axed.

Travellers say they are being stranded for up to 25 minutes at Red Jet's Terminal One waiting for a free "Citylink" bus service which links Island commuters with the city centre and trains to London.

Passengers say that the withdrawal of the service means they are missing vital bus connections to other parts of the city from WestQuay.

They are also having to wait in the freezing cold for buses to turn up.

Passengers joining the 7.20am and 8am high-speed Red Jet service from Cowes to Southampton used to be met by two free buses linking the city centre and the town's rail station with the Red Jet service.

But one of the buses, jointly paid for by South-West Trains, Red Funnel, WestQuay and Southampton City Council, has been withdrawn leaving commuters fighting for space on board the remaining bus.

It is the latest blow for hard pressed commuters using the Red Jet service following controversial timetable changes which were introduced by South West Trains at the beginning of this year.

The changes mean that Red Jet's early services no longer connect with half-hourly commuter trains to London from Southampton railway station forcing commuters to leave the Island earlier so they can catch trains to London on time.

Ruth Jones, 34, an events' organiser from Osborne Heights in East Cowes was left stranded at the Red Jet terminal with her 20-month old son Jamie after the bus pulled away full of passengers.

She said: "Jamie has got to sit out in the cold now. I must admit, when I got here I thought I would have a chance.

Another commuter who did not want to be named said: "There used to be two buses, one of which was the CityLink which stopped at WestQuay and Marlands and one which went straight to the station.

"They have taken off the fast bus which used to connect with the 8am Red Jet from Cowes which means there is only one bus. It meets Red Jet Four which has 200 people on board. There are just too many people trying to get on to one bus."

Red Funnel spokesman Jonathan Green said the problem of overcrowding had been increased since South West Trains changed their timetables at the beginning of the year.

He added that the company was meeting with both South West Trains the Strategic Rail Authority and council transport chiefs this week to see if the problem could be resolved.

He said: "It is obviously in our interests to ensure that our own customers have the best connections that are possible between the two modes of transport. It seems we do have a problem which needs to be investigated."