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Citylink axes ferry luggage service            10/10/11

 

by Peter Urpeth

Five local jobs could be lost as Citylink proposes to stop its ferry luggage service offered to coach passengers travelling on the Stornoway ferry.

It  looks set to close within the next few weeks raising concerns as to how the elderly, those carrying young children and other less able bodied passengers unable to carry their own luggage on board, will be able to use the ferry in the future.

The luggage service is currently provided free-of-charge to passengers by coach operator Scottish Citylink. It allowed travellers boarding the ferry in Stornoway and catching the connecting bus service to Inverness at Ullapool pier, do not need to handle or lift their luggage again until they arrive in Inverness, and vice versa for those travelling from Inverness bus station to Stornoway ferry terminal.

The luggage van also offered a luggage transfer service at low cost to those not travelling by coach but wishing their luggage to be transferred on and off the vessel to the ferry terminal buildings.

A spokeswoman for Scottish Citylink said: "The responsibility to assist ferry passengers with their luggage ultimately lies with the ferry operator.

"We have previously provided a luggage service for ferry passengers travelling between Stornoway and Ullapool before they board the Citylink bus service between Ullapool and Inverness.

“However, this is not something that we provide anywhere else in the UK and, having carried out a review of our operations, we have taken the decision to discontinue this additional service. We are currently involved in a staff consultation on this matter.

"As a result of this decision, we have been able to reduce all fares on our Ullapool-Inverness services by 50p.

“All of our Ullapool to Inverness customers will benefit from this price reduction which we believe is fairer than charging extra for a service that previously benefited only some of our passengers.

"However, we appreciate that this will mean a change for some ferry passengers and we would advise anyone who may require extra assistance with luggage to contact the ferry operator for more information on the options available to them."

Passengers travelling on the coach service between Ullapool and Inverness were recently informally surveyed by staff operating the luggage service as to their age and their use of the luggage van service.

Many passengers - for whom the ferry provides the only affordable means of travelling between the islands and the mainland - expressed concerns as to how they would, in future, be able to manage to lift their luggage up the ferry's gangways to board the vessel.

Cal Mac currently offers assistance with carrying luggage on board to the elderly, infirm and those with young children but requests advance notice for the service or when buying a ticket, and it is doubtful that a service operated on the basis of the ship's crew carrying individual pieces of passenger luggage on board would be practical in the event of the luggage van service not continuing and resulting in increased demand for such assistance.

A CalMac spokesman said: "We met with Scottish Citylink on Tuesday this week for one of our regular meetings and they advised us then of their intention to stop the luggage service.

“We are currently considering the implications of this for our ferry passengers and are in discussion with Scottish Citylink about the future of the service."