These are hardly probing questions. Yes, AFL are …

Comment posted Transport Minister answers McGrigor’s questions on ferries and A83 by ferryman.

These are hardly probing questions. Yes, AFL are delivering the service they were contracted to. That is why AFL report close to 100% reliability.

The real question is why did the contract not specify that the ferries should be able to cope with weather conditions on the Firth of Clyde?

As it stands any time the ferries cannot sail due to the weather then, under the contract, it counts as if they HAVE sailed!

Just recently we have seen both the bathtubs unable to sail in what were really quite mild conditions and that still counts as 100% reliability.

ferryman also commented

• Are you deliberately missing the point?

  Argyll Ferries ARE performing to the contract.
  The contract permits abysmal service because nowhere does it specify what weather conditions the ferries should be able to sail in.

  Users of other ferries whose routes may be tendered beware. Make sure any tender and contract either specifies minimum sizes for vessels or specifies what sea conditions they should be able to sail in. Otherwise, like ours, your bathtubs will stay in port and notch up 100% reliability.

  You also want to make sure provision is made for relief vessels so that you don’t end up with a half service for four or more weeks each year when ferries need maintenance.

  Also if you have a special event (we have Cowal Games) make sure it is adequately covered.

  The REAL question is who was responsible for not doing any of the above on the Dunoon Gourock ferry route.

Recent comments by ferryman

• Reminder: Argyll Ferries on ‘refit’ service schedule
  The scottish Government has failed to deliver on the transferable ferry tickets it was going to setup. The bus scheme is a bodge that adds anything upto two hours to travel time.

  Any news on what they are going to do for Cowal Games or are they just going to try another gamble on the weather.

• New Campbeltown ferry pilot – a whale beached before it starts
  They did not refuse to give car/ferry passenger service to Dunoon – they took it away!

  They went back on a maniefesto committment to provide new vehicle ferries and then to cap it all they made an incompetent botch by putting in a totally and uttery unreliable passenger only service.

• Inexplicable blame game from MSP on lack of cross-ticketing on Dunoon ferries
  “no carrier could justify running a heavier and thirstier craft than necessary”

  The “than necessary” is the critical point. If you are specifying a commuter service to get people to and from work, hospital college etc. then it is necessary and perfectly possible to specify vessels able to operate reliably on the Clyde.

  What you do not do is accept vessels which regularly and repeatedly fail to run for days at a time.

  Newsroom wrote “physical facts are the physical facts”, they are indeed and the current bathtubs are far too small for reliable operation. In any case the Ali Cat was operating unreliably on the route already so her current performance is no surprise.

• Inexplicable blame game from MSP on lack of cross-ticketing on Dunoon ferries
  I take exception to your statement that “The Argyll Ferries’ passenger boats, being necessarily lighter craft, are more prone to delay and cancellation in a bit of a blow”.

  Transport Scotland should have specified vessels able to provide a reliable service. They did not hence the problem.

  Also the gentleman referred to in the article in the Observer concluded by saying he did not want a lot of energy devoted to cross ticketing etc he wanted it devoted to the getting his town centre ferry service taking him to the trains to work.

  That of course makes sense because even if he could transfer totally reliably to and from Western at no cost at all he would still be late for work.

• Western Ferries: new sailings, inflation rises in fares – and protection for concessions
  “the consensus seemed to be that they would be too expensive to be used as passenger only ferries”

  Exactly. Here you have ferries known to be reliable in the sea conditions on the route, able to operate at a fantastic profit when carrying vehicles but not economic carrying only passengers.

  AF are suspended again today, they were off all day yesterday, because they use bathtubs not remotely suited for the purpose to which they are being put.

  The sensible thing is to use larger ferries on the town centre route and let them carry vehicles. As CalMac demonstrated, before the Government of the day stopped them, putting on more sailings increased revenue and cut subsidy.

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