dead mans hand Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 I've got off the ferry one Sunday at 7.30am to get the first bus at around 9.15am or something and the bus station and toilets were closed. There's still room for you to shelter. Yes you are right, you can shelter. But not every day? Do you really think that there is enough room for all the people and their shopping to shelter from the weather? I know because i need to use late busses. It is woeful haveing to stand out side in trhe freezing cold. And now it looks like myself and many others will now have to wait outside to catch any bus home or to work or to college......Its a great start to your day. Go to a caff or to the pub?? Maybe what happens if you cant affored to go every day? Back to being outside. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RileyBKing Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 My more serious point about this proposal is that it once again exhibits a pattern of planned savings which chips away at the viability of the rural communities by steadily removing the building blocks which make them work - schools, ferry services, road gritting and now the way the bus service functions. Whether or not it is completely fair, there is a risk of long term damage to the Shetland community if it is perceived that spending cuts are influenced by a "town vs country" perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Unlinked, one of the things from my area that goes into the freight centre for collection is cakes for special occasions made by a small almost hobby size company. Without this they would maybe be unable to supply a lot of their customers at a sensible price. You said "maybe". Does that mean you don't know?Yes it means I do not know for sure any more than I know that without the rural freight centre the daily newspapers going to Unst would not get there but they are possible things that our councillors need to be aware of before making a decision. How does moving the functions of the freight centre to Gremista and increasing the charges to be in line with commercial rates equate to meaning that the daily newspapers can't get to Unst? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 I've got off the ferry one Sunday at 7.30am to get the first bus at around 9.15am or something and the bus station and toilets were closed. There's still room for you to shelter. Yes you are right, you can shelter. But not every day? Do you really think that there is enough room for all the people and their shopping to shelter from the weather? I know because i need to use late busses. It is woeful haveing to stand out side in trhe freezing cold. And now it looks like myself and many others will now have to wait outside to catch any bus home or to work or to college......Its a great start to your day. Go to a caff or to the pub?? Maybe what happens if you cant affored to go every day? Back to being outside. Any ideas? What do you think those people not catching their buses from the bus station have to do then? Not everyone works in town. Not everyone working in town gets the bus at the bus station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fionajohn Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 where does the figure of 20p come from? i was always charged £1 per box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead mans hand Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 What do you think those people not catching their buses from the bus station have to do then? Not everyone works in town. Not everyone working in town gets the bus at the bus station. Un wha said dat dee did? But this debate is about the closure of the Vinkng and the effect that it will have. Not about who catches busses from where ever.It was you that said it was ok to shelter at the Viknig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Shetlink froze - double posted - apologies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooney1 Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Why should the SIC provide a service that the bus companies should be providing? Do the SIC not charge them rent?I wondered this also, and also for the commercial freight companies e.g. Whalsay Haulage that use it - do they not pay a lease/rent? Can anyone explain the business model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Un wha said dat dee did? But this debate is about the closure of the Vinkng and the effect that it will have. Not about who catches busses from where ever.It was you that said it was ok to shelter at the Viknig. And there still will be shelter, won't there? Granted it won't be inside but then there isn't at night anyway, is there? The facilities for those not catching buses at Viking Bus Station are relevant (bus shelters elsewhere). Even if it meant installing narrow bus shelters there would still be shelter ... but at what cost and footed by whom? Whether we like it or not, cuts have to be made and I really don't see why the SIC should be subsiding the running of a bus station when in many places, it is the transport providers/bus companies who do so and when there is a bus station owned by a local authority then said bus companies pay rent which covers the overheads faced by the local authority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 where does the figure of 20p come from? i was always charged £1 per boxI understand the 20p is for handling a box at the bus station and the £1 id the fare if the box is sent on a bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Why should the SIC provide a service that the bus companies should be providing? Do the SIC not charge them rent?I wondered this also, and also for the commercial freight companies e.g. Whalsay Haulage that use it - do they not pay a lease/rent? Can anyone explain the business model? You mean one exists? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Whatever else goes on there (rural freight etc.) it is important that people do not lose sight of what the Viking is for.It's a bus park and waiting facility for the travelling public and, IMHO, should be retained.Anything else it does is of secondary importance. The way things seem to be going is that every 'front line' job is under threat whilst the desk jockeys appear to be (relatively) immune. Better, in my opinion, to lose a couple of under employed desk jockeys and stop messing with the general public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 The way things seem to be going is that every 'front line' job is under threat whilst the desk jockeys appear to be (relatively) immune. Better, in my opinion, to lose a couple of under employed desk jockeys and stop messing with the general public. Very true. But politically the public must be made to "feel" that there is a "crisis", and that the powers that be are making a "difference", cos of course we're too flippn dumb and dopey to know about "that kinda stuff" any other way. It would be better for them so called powers, if they credited the majority of the public with having a better understanding of it all than quite a few of them appear to have, and that we're well aware what we're being fed is nothing short of a con and scam to try and get us thinking that "they're doing something about the problem", while in reality they're scrambling like headless chickens trying to save their own eryses. Something needs to go through the desk bound types in every area of the council at all levels like a dose of the runs, and the chain pulled on all the paper shufflers and bean counters en masse. The SIC has a duty to provide the best possible public services in the most cost efficient manner, it is NOT an organisation charged with keeping the Shetland unemployment figures artificially low, and it long past time they started acting that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 Oh yeah....and while I'm at it. The SIC could do worse than take a good long hard look at improvng efficiency and productivity in their admin practices. I've lost count of the number of times over the years I've received a "We acknowledge receipt of your communication, and will be in touch shortly to address the issue you raise....." type of letters, only to never ever hear a thing from them again. Twice within three months while paying regular bills during last autumn and requesting a receipt in writing along with the payment, none has been received, and its taken ten days after chasing up to get one. Then the next receipt was for a wrong, and far larger amount. Then there's the small matter of contacting them regarding a straightforward (or so one would think?!?) matter which is covered in the info on their website. Nine months and several letters in each direction later the issue remains exactly where it started, as the questions asked of them have been heavily cherrypicked leaving the majority ignored, and no sooner than the points raised by them in one letter are addressed, the next letter brings a whole new slew. Its like talking to a brick wall, none of the succeeding letters received from them contained anything that was only generated by a previous reply from me, they should have known everything from day one. If it was impractical to have it all on the website, surely all known relevant queries could and should have been included in the initial letter of response. What is gained by feeding them out a handful at a time unless to waste an inordinate amount of time, stationery and postage and keep the girls and boys in a (un-necessary?!?) job, costing us a minor fortune. Soapbox. Off, of. Gone.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siccar Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 Oh yeah....and while I'm at it. The SIC could do worse than take a good long hard look at improvng efficiency and productivity in their admin practices. I've lost count of the number of times over the years I've received a "We acknowledge receipt of your communication, and will be in touch shortly to address the issue you raise....." type of letters, only to never ever hear a thing from them again. Twice within three months while paying regular bills during last autumn and requesting a receipt in writing along with the payment, none has been received, and its taken ten days after chasing up to get one. Then the next receipt was for a wrong, and far larger amount. Then there's the small matter of contacting them regarding a straightforward (or so one would think?!?) matter which is covered in the info on their website. Nine months and several letters in each direction later the issue remains exactly where it started, as the questions asked of them have been heavily cherrypicked leaving the majority ignored, and no sooner than the points raised by them in one letter are addressed, the next letter brings a whole new slew. Its like talking to a brick wall, none of the succeeding letters received from them contained anything that was only generated by a previous reply from me, they should have known everything from day one. If it was impractical to have it all on the website, surely all known relevant queries could and should have been included in the initial letter of response. What is gained by feeding them out a handful at a time unless to waste an inordinate amount of time, stationery and postage and keep the girls and boys in a (un-necessary?!?) job, costing us a minor fortune. Soapbox. Off, of. Gone....So du writes an awful amount o whingin letters?Surprised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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