Travelling public have a new ferry champion
‘What is needed are salient facts that can be accurately recorded’
Ferry users have a new champion to take up their fight for improved services.
Community activist Neil Arthur has been appointed on to the Isle of Arran Ferry Committee to represent the general travelling public.
And he has vowed to make their voices heard, despite continuing concern over the accountability of the ferry committee.
The appointment comes in the week the MV Isle of Arran stopped the summer service with islanders keeping their fingers crossed the winter disruption will not be severe as last year.
At the ferry committee annual meeting in June, the only meeting open to the public, one of the strong opinions expressed was that while various trade groups were repre- sented on the committee independent travellers were not sufficiently well consulted or represented.
Chairman Robert Waine has since resigned after three years and stood down from his position as the independent travellers representative. Iain Thomson is the new chairman.
Following an advert and selection process the ferry committee have co-opted Mr Arthur of Kilpatrick to the task of acting as the ‘go to person’ for independent travellers who may have a comment, complaint or a compliment about the Arran ferry service.
He will be in post until the AGM next June, when he can stand for re-election. Alan Stout was also co-opted on at that last meeting to represent health and social care.
Mr Arthur, a community councillor, who has taken a keen interest in ferry matters for many years, said that he was happy to take on this role and to see how it would be used and developed. But he stressed that those wishing to contact him should be prepared to share details, days, dates and times etc. in order for the process to work and to allow incidents to be brought to the attention of those responsible where appropriate.
The records provided will allow a database to be established and in time the database will be a useful tool to detect any trends.
He said: ‘My summary of the priority issues that effect any traveller is what I refer to as ‘The 3 Rs’ namely: reliability of vessels, service and ports; representation - how the voice of the traveller is represented at the Arran Ferry Committee, the Clyde Ferry Users Group and on up to Transport Scotland; responsibility - in the deliberately complicated structure that we
complicated structure that we have to work with, (CalMac, CMAL, Transport Scotland) who is responsible for the service we tolerate and how can they be brought to account to ensure a better more reliable service to meet the current increase in capacity.
‘Realistically, there is a severe danger of becoming swamped with minutia or apocryphal tales when, what is needed, are salient facts that can be accurately recorded, investigated and analysed for trends and frequency of occurrence. So I will invite those independent travellers wishing to use the facility to do one of three things: make brief constructive comment or suggestion; supply details in order to make a complaint that can be recorded and pursued if necessary; make complimentary remarks about the service or staff - with details,’ he added.
The preferred method of contact for Mr Arthur would be by e-mail to itferryrep@broombrae.co.uk or, if necessary, the phone number, 07522 860435.