Final sea trials will be held tomorrow for another possible replacement vessel
for the historic Renfrew Ferry.
Ferry operator Clydelink has submitted its proposal to take over the River Clyde
route between Renfrew and Yoker. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport announced
in January it was to scrap the existing ferry service, which has been running for
more than 500 years, in an attempt to save £400,000 a year.
The present service stops at the end of the month.
A number of private companies have since tendered bids to run a service on the
route. Mark Aikman, chief executive of Clydelink, said: “We are well placed to
offer a seamless transition between the existing service and our proposed service. We
are ready to operate on the route as soon as we achieve approval.”
Other proposals include a bid from Stagecoach, which is seeking to run a 50-passenger
amphibus on the river. Its £700,000 Dutch vehicle would run by road from Braehead
to the Renfrew Ferry slipway, cross the Clyde to Yoker and then travel on by road
to Clydebank.
However, trials of this service got off to a bad start when the floating bus broke down
less than an hour after testing began and the trail had to be resumed the following day.
Argyll firm Silvers Marine has also suggested an inflatable boat could be the solution
to the axed route.
The current vessels, The Renfrew Rose and Yoker Swan, can carry more than 50
passengers on a crossing. But Silvers Marine’s inflatable boat can hold no more than
a dozen, which would reduce capacity considerably on the ferry.
Renfrewshire Council is confident a new service will be in place on April 1, the day after
SPT pulls the plug on the existing route. The decision to scrap the crossing was
justified by the need to make £2.5million savings next year for the transport authority,
which has been hit by a series of high-profile resignations over expenses claims.
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
Today is the deadline for private operators wanting to run a service to replace
the Renfrew Ferry.
The existing ferry between Renfrew and Yoker will be axed on March 31 saving
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport £400,000 a year. But it is understood
at least 10 companies are lining up to provide a replacement service with a
couple being described as serious contenders.
Bosses at the transport authority were forced to pull the plug on the Renfrew
Rose and Yoker Swan as they were paying £2.69 in subsidy for every passenger.
However they are keen for a commercial operator to step in and provide a
replacement service.
SPT chairman Jonathan Findlay said: “I’m really encouraged by the interest
so far and look forward to seeing all the final proposals.”
Existing vessels used on the ferry route are being offered for sale or lease by
SPT and their slipways, pontoons and ancillary facilities on site will also be made
available for lease or license as part of any deal. The transport body has already
backed a number of trials by interested firms that have taken place on the
river – including an amphibus, an inflatable boat and a small ferry vessel.
Over the past decade, the number of passengers has fallen by 41,000 to only
141,361 a year. In 2007, a feasibility study was launched into the future of the
200-metre river crossing. It found the service’s two ageing ferries would have to
be replaced within a couple of years and that they did not comply with the Disability
Discrimination Act.
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
A small boat is to take over the Yoker to Renfrew ferry service across the River
Clyde in Glasgow.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has awarded the route to Argyll-based
Silvers Marine. The firm's craft, which carries up to 12 people, will replace two
50-passenger ferries later this month.
SPT announced in January that it was withdrawing the existing service at the end
of March as it was making an annual loss of of £430,000. The authority said each
passenger using the two existing ferries on the route - The Renfrew Rose and Yoker
Swan - had to be subsidised by about £2.69.
The new contract, approved at a meeting of SPT officials on Friday, will see no
public subsidy with fares of £1.50 for a single journey and £3 for a return. It is hoped
the new service will begin on 29 March, with the old ferry services finishing on
31 March.
Silvers Marine was one of five firms to express an interest in running the service and
emerged as one of two favourites, along with Inverness-based Clyde River Taxis.
SPT chairman Councillor Jonathan Findlay said the five-year route lease with Silvers
Marine would maintain an important passenger service on the Clyde.
"There was a range of interest from the commercial sector, but we believe Silvers
Marine will provide the best service - utilising SPT's slipways - and without any subsidy
from the public purse," he said. "This is an exciting time for those interested in river
travel as Silvers Marine hope to undertake trials for an extended service in the near future."
Silvers Marine managing director Mark Aikman said: "We would like to assure ferry
users that we will continue to provide them with a reliable service that will take over the
route seamlessly. This historic crossing has provided an important link to communities on
both sides of the Clyde for a very long time. We will also be led by consumer demand
when considering extension of the service in the future."
Approval of the new service was welcomed by Renfrewshire Council leader Derek
Mackay. "The 500-year-old river crossing link lives on, and I thank those who supported
our local campaigns," he said. "This was exactly the kind of outcome we have been
working towards, a new fit-for-purpose continuation of ferry service across the Clyde
to meet the demands from Renfrew and Yoker. We always believed there would be a
credible private sector bid to take advantage of the commercial opportunity that
existed on river transport. There is also scope for future expansion."
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
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