Lack of integrated public transport
Sir,
Early in September I travelled to Arran. Although I had bought a railway ticket to Brodick, apparently I had to call in at Ardrossan terminal to exchange a voucher for a ferry ticket because in spring CalMac decided to pull out of the rail and sail single-ticket arrangement.
The train arrived at Ardrossan Harbour at 15:06, just 14 minutes before the ferry was due to sail. One is supposed to be on board 10 minutes before departure.
Having traversed the 200 yards from the train to the ferry terminal, I saw there were lots of people at the ticket window. Chancing it, I raced for the gangplank where the crew member simply waved me on board. I do not know whether all the other passengers in the terminal managed to catch the ferry.
Upon arrival at Brodick, although I was one of the first passengers off, because I am not a fast walker, especially with my holiday luggage, I was one of the last out of the building. I had to queue for the lifts, as I did not feel walking down the stairs with both hands full was wise, and by the time I did so, the bus to Blackwaterfoot had gone.
Just 10 minutes is allowed between the boat berthing and the bus departing and, of course, the bus drivers cannot see the passengers once they enter the building so have no way of telling whether all the bus passengers have come through.
It would have been more than two and a half hours until the next bus across the String. Fortunately, because it was a Thursday, there was a school bus departing for Blackwaterfoot around the south end 20 minutes after the other buses had gone, so I was only an hour late arriving at my hotel.
It seems to me that for many people 14 minutes is not enough time to get from the train to the ferry terminal, obtain a ticket and proceed on to the boat. Neither is 10 minutes enough time to disembark, get downstairs and along to the bus stops. Doubtless there are similar problems going the other way and should the new Ardrossan terminal replicate the features of the Brodick one, we can expect even more problems for everyone but the fastest, fittest and most lightly-laden passengers.
What on earth has happened to the concept of integrated public transport? Are CalMac, SPTE/Stagecoach and Scotrail trying to force us all to drive cars instead of taking the environmentally-friendly option?
Is there no way these companies, all answerable to the Scottish government, could communicate with each other to indicate how many passengers are expected to transfer from one mode to the other?
It was so much easier disembarking down the gangplank in full view of the waiting buses just a few yards away and, of course, if one goes back further, the trains at Ardrossan stopped beside the ferry berth, not 200 yards away. The cumulative changes over the years have made things more difficult and stressful for foot passengers, meaning travelling to Arran is not as pleasant an experience as it used to be.
Does the time one needs to allow to exchange a voucher for a ferry ticket, for example,
mean one should take the previous train rather than the one suggested in the CalMac timetable, thus extending the journey by an hour?
My MSP has taken up some of these issues on my behalf. In addition, I have complained to Stagecoach about the failed bus connection at Brodick but so far have not received a reply.
I would be very interested, though, to find out whether other passengers have missed the boat at Ardrossan, the bus at Brodick or any other connection. What we have now is disintegrated public transport so it would be no wonder if more people are opting to take the car to avoid all the hassle.
Yours,
Jane Ann Liston,
St Andrews.
Does CalMac care?
Sir,
MV Alfred managed a 30-minute turn round during the summer but this weekend it has been extended to 40-50 minutes. And the 18:00/19:20 sailings have been ditched completely. This will inevitably impact on the connecting rail service, especially anyone turning up for the popular 18:00 sailing from Ardrossan. Does CalMac really care about Arran? Who has upset the planners or are they just having a laugh?
Yours,
Eric Gilmour,
Lochwinnoch.