shetlandcars Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 So if you want a car on the boat at short notice you will probably find there is no space because its take up with freight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 I would hazard a guess that all vessels will be running at peak times. So there will be cover. Though my experience is that it is still cost effective to hire a car in some cases. It t has been my own experience. Serco are not getting rid of the 2nd freight vessel. Just being frugle. Again. Are there details on passenger numbers and vehicles throughout the year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Reading between the lines, it seems Serco would be looking to charter out the "laid up" vessel. I just can't see how this can work with the level of seafood exports and the main phase of construction of the new Total gas plant about to start. I remember the Shetland Times headline when the first NorthLink contract collapsed which was "Another Fine Mess". Will history repeat itself........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suuusssiiieee Posted May 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Whatever spin Serco churn out it appears to me to be a cut in freight capacity. So they say the 2nd freight vessel will be used if the demand is there when it's not meant to be on the North run, that's ok we'll await it's arrival from god knows where to save us whether it's in the Irish Sea, Baltic or somewhere else! In my eyes it's penny pinching, a second rate service surely awaits us... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tirvaluk Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Sounds like we will be short of a freight boat when the drydocking takes place, not good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 You are right there is a cut in available capacity, the capacity, reportedly not used. Reading between the lines, it seems Serco would be looking to charter out the "laid up" vessel. You missed this bit...We will have both vessels under charter throughout the year to ensure resiliency. This provides flexibility to meet any sustained changes in demand. Prove it! Will history repeat itself........ It does all the time, you never seem to be happy yet come with any substantive answers, all allegations, conspiracy and sometimes blx. Now, should we take the allegations you are making seriously. I would like to see you put it in writing to them, and then hold them to their response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Serco’s project manager for the northern isles ferry contract, Jonathan Riley, was in Shetland on Wednesday speaking to transport operators and the local council. http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/4217-serco-promises-better-ferry-service.html Responding to widespread concern, Mr Riley said that nowhere in the specifications did it say that the successful bidder had to operate two freight vessels all year round. The same applied to the Pentland Firth crossing where the lunchtime service has been cut back during quieter months. Mr Riley said he was confident that Serco would be able to tailor the service to meet existing and future demand by making more efficient use of the existing capacity on the two ferries, Hrossey and Hjaltland. He also denied widespread rumours that Serco was about to introduce an airline style ticketing service, which potentially could lead to higher fares and penalties when changing travelling arrangements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 It seems SERCO have been ticking the right boxes and have become MAGICAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandcars Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 looking at Serco website, seems a few things are going from the ferry: The premium reclining seating will be located in the current cinema area and will provide a quiet, comfortable environmentSo I assume there will be no cinema? can hardly have films showing till 1am and then expect folk to be allowed in to sleep. The current à la carte restaurant on Shetland services will be withdrawn and the restaurant and lounge will become a dedicated lounge and dining area for passengers who have booked premium cabin accommodation or upgraded to inclusive service onboard. So it will still create an area thats empty the majority of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Maybe there will be movies available in cabins instead. Or of course they reckon that demand for the cinema will drop to nothing once Mareel opens. Could well be that there are plenty of people who will pay for a lounge in the way that people do at airports and even train stations. Serco will try these things and if they do not work they will try something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 If Serco bother to read this then one good thing would be through fares from Lerwick to anywhere on the UK rail network that were good even if the ferry arrived late in Aberdeen. And through fares from the UK rail network that were good even if the train was late arriving into Aberdeen. Already this year I have bought more expensive train tickets than might have been needed so that friends can still get home if the ferry is late, have taken a chance on one booking for myself booking a cheap ticket that will be useless if the ferry is late and decided to fly back on one occasion as I did not trust the train to get to Aberdeen on time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinner72 Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Maybe there will be movies available in cabins instead. Or of course they reckon that demand for the cinema will drop to nothing once Mareel opens. I don't think demand has ever been high. I have spent many a night on the recliners in there where there were no films shown. Most people wanting to watch a film or whatever these days will probably have a laptop with them. Could well be that there are plenty of people who will pay for a lounge in the way that people do at airports and even train stations. Serco will try these things and if they do not work they will try something else. Not a bad plan, provided they hit the right price level that could prove quite popular. Your suggestion of guaranteed onward travel would also be very popular I believe, but again would need to be priced so as not to be more expensive then an anytime train ticket. And just in case it may help anyone - I often book a later £1 megabus seat as a reserve in case the boat is late if I'm travelling onward during the winter. Never had to use it yet luckily but its a lot cheaper than an anytime train ticket or heaven forbid a single "on the day"! Have to admit I can't see how a similar guarantee could work in reverse without holding up a boat full of people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Serco are holding public meetings in Shetland http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/newsbites/4277-serco-dates.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted June 14, 2012 Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 So Crow wants to ballot union members on strike action even before Serco have taken over the Northlink contract. Well here is my view on this. Northlink is a "lifeline" service and if Crow's members vote for a strike in this proposed ballot I would say they were not fit to run a lifeline service and should be dismissed so Serco can hire people who will not go on strike except as a last resort. Regulations exist to protect workers transferring to a new company and Serco should abide by those regulations. If they fail to do so then the courts should be the first port of call for the union and only if Serco do not do what the court says should strike ballots even be considered. I would remind ferry workers that this sort of thing will upset people who have already ferry crossings for their holidays and is quite liable to make people who were considering Shetland for a holiday destination to think again and might even harm exporters as someone renewing a contract for fresh produce might think again when comparing a Shetland supplier with one on the mainland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted June 14, 2012 Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 But on the other hand.......perhaps the Scottish Government might want to have a think about awarding a lifeline contract to a company which has already managed to get the union talking about a strike ballot before they have even taken over. Does this make Serco a suitable company to run the service or should the Government be thinking of starting the tendering process again from scratch?. Maybe Streamline will yet go to Europe for a ruling about their bid so we could still have a re-run of the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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