In publishing the latest set of performance statistics today – given below, a spokesperson for Argyll Ferries – providing the passenger shuttle service between the town centres of Gourock and Dunoon, says:
‘May was an excellent month for the Gourock-Dunoon service with the route achieving 100% reliability and punctuality.
‘Out of 1621 sailings a tiny number – 4 - were lost due to bad weather; and the week in which the service was reduced to a single vessel due to the refit of the MV Argyll Flyer passed off uneventfully.(Ed: The impact of this refit on the service schedule was also well pre-advertised by the company.)
‘Since the start of the year the average monthly technical reliability has been 99.9% – with two months achieving 100%.
‘This clearly demonstrates that the criticism of the service from some quarters is grossly unfair and undermining the efforts of those in Cowal who are working hard to bring visitors to the area.’
According to the Cowal Courier it would cost £1.5 million for a second hand replacement ferry, and up to £5 million for a new build passenger only ferry, and excuses for not using spare car ferries on the route.There seems to be a hidden agenda for this route.
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There does not seem to be any hidden agenda in trying to get ferries that can work. Do you mean there was a hidden agenda behind the SNP not delivering the promised vehicle ferries and so giving Western an extra 60,000 vehicle crossings a year?
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The weather was nice in May so the bathtubs could sail, where is the surprise in that?
Of course they didn’t actually sail did they, despite the claimed 100%. No, from the 28/May to 3/Jun there was only a half service. You remember, the nice fine weather and the Jubilee weekend when people might possibly have wished to visit a seaside town for a break to spend some money and help the local economy.
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The Cowal Couriers ferry costings may be a little suspect. On the Apolloduck website is an advert for the Clyde Clipper for sale at £3,432,000.00.
Incidentally the Kenilworth is also for sale as an historic ferry.
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At the recent meeting with Alex Neil I produced from one website some 17 car and passenger ferries 12 year old an under capable of carrying around 30 cars and 300 passengers that were for sale under £2m.
For Argyll Ferries to say that the criticism of their service is grossly unfair ignores the fact that in April alone the 91 weather cancellations compares with the 52 weather cancellations that the streakers had in three years. Hardly a reliable service or one that meets the requirements of an Essential public service i.e. one that connects with another essential public service – the trains.
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“Ed: The impact of this refit on the service schedule was also well pre-advertised by the company.”
No it was not, this is the usual lack of research by the newsroom (aka soapbox). Posters were only put in vessels about a week before the change.
Given that the original contract must have been changed to allow this service to take place partly in May surely a lot more notice should have been given.
Why did they schedule the service in the run-up to and over the Sat/Sun of the jubilee weekend?
More importantly why is there a half service for four weeks each year? The old service had relief vessels during service periods, who in Transport Scotland thought these were not needed on the new service? Imagine if the rail companies ran a half timetable every year so they could service rollingstock.
What is going to happen for Cowal Games?
Last year they used the Saturn.
In APRIL there were 91 weather cancellations, they still cancelled in May, and now in June we have weather cutting the service in half. The Cowal Games are a period when many people wish to visit the town centre on foot. If normal August weather hits the service then it will be very serious.
Hopefully they will cobble together something using vessels that are fit for purpose from some other company, but who pays for that and why was it not included in the contract by Transport Scotland.
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It is now 10:00 on on Sat 16/June.
Argyll Ferries remain off since yesterday.
Western Ferries continue to run to timetable.
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Newsroom (aka soapbox) what happened to your sharp reporter’s eye and your keen and incisive analytical skills?
“May was excellent 100% reliability”. Come on newsroom make a comment, what smells very strange about that figure? Have you given up completely on the idea of being a news and information service? Are you not even a blog but just a clandestine paid advertising/propaganda service?
You published and even supported the Argyll Ferries statement.
Did it escape your keen observation that Argyll Ferries, in the week running up to and including fri/sat/sun of the Jubilee only ran a half service?
Part of that week, mon/tue/wed/thu was in May, but the Argyll Flyer was contracted to be serviced in June. Even if somebody wanted to service it in June why pick the week of the Jubilee, why not the end of the month.
Are you going to ask some serious questions forargyll, as a news and information service, or are you not even a blog but just an advertising service?
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