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CHAPTER SIX: AVAILABILITY OF FERRY ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
Introduction
6.1 This chapter describes how much of the required accessibility information is readily available for the Scottish ferry network. Only the information pertinent to this mode and its associated features is discussed.
6.2 For the purposes of this study, ferry infrastructure has been divided into ports, terminals and vessels (ferries).
Scottish Ferry Services
6.3 Scotland has over 6,000 miles of coastline, and as such is a nation very much dependent on water transport. Of the 96 inhabited islands in Scotland, over 50 of them can be reached by scheduled ferry services. The majority of the islands and peninsulas of the west of Scotland have been served for many years by the state owned Caledonian MacBrayne shipping company (CalMac), which is by far the largest internal operator in Scotland.
6.4 In addition to the internal network of ferry services, Scotland has a number of strategic ports on global shipping routes and various passenger ferry services operate to and from the continent from such ports. The piers and harbours at each port are owned by many different organisations, some by CalMac, some by Local Authorities, and some by trusts.
6.5 CalMac has recently been restructured into a publicly owned vessel owning company (VesCo) and a publicly owned operating company (OpsCo) which will operate the services until the proposed introduction of a newly tendered contract.
The West Coast, Clyde and the Hebrides
6.6 CalMac operates 30 vessels on 26 routes connecting the peninsulas and highlands and islands off the West Coast and in the Clyde estuary. CalMac's ferry services carry over 5 million passengers each year 11.
6.7 The other operators in the West are:
- Renfrew to Yoker Ferry ( SPT operate 2 vessels and carry 150,000 passengers per annum);
- Corran Ferry (Highland Council operate 3 vessels and carry 200,000 passengers per annum);
- Argyll and Bute Council Ferry Services (4 inter-island services carry 116,000 passengers per annum); and
- Gourock to Dunoon (Western Ferries carry 450,000 passengers per annum).
Orkney and Shetland Isles
6.8 A number of operators run services connecting Mainland Scotland with the Orkney and Shetland Isles.
- P&O Orkney & Shetland Services carry 250,000 passengers per annum;
- Orkney Ferries' Services carry 275,000 passengers per annum; and
- Shetland Islands Council services carry 650,000 passengers per annum.
6.9 Other operators from the mainland to Orkney include Pentland Ferries, John O'Groats Ferry and Northlink Ferries (also operates services to Shetland).
UK and Continental Services
6.10 There are several passenger ferry services to Ireland as well as the continent from Scotland. Services to Northern Ireland include Cairnryan to Larne (P & O Ferries), Stranraer to Belfast (Stena Line), and Troon to Larne (P & O Ferries). Ferries travel to the continent between Rosyth to Zeebrugge (Superfast Ferries) and Lerwick in Shetland to The Faroes and Norway (Smyril line).
Port and terminal accessibility
6.11 The Scottish ferry network (largely based in the Clyde and Hebridean regions) operates from ports consisting of a variety of piers, slipways, link spans, car marshalling areas and passenger facilities. Ownership and management of these ports is by a number of different bodies and operators.
6.12 Audit sheets exist for ports served by CalMac where there are terminal buildings. These sheets outline the key passenger facilities at each terminal.
6.13 Disabled facilities are included on the audit sheet and their presence is indicated by a 'yes' or 'no' in the box alongside the feature. However, the features listed only include: disabled toilets, seating, access, parking and wheelchair loan. Information on features such as the availability of staff assistance, visual and audio announcements and induction loops are not currently included.
6.14 The majority of smaller, non CalMac ferry companies do not operate out of any terminal buildings, for example, Corran Ferry, Glenelg and Pentland Ferries. Instead, they operate from slipways, which by their open and sloping nature, tend to allow obstacle free easy access onto the relevant ferries.
Ferry accessibility
6.15 On board facilities vary according to the age, size and type of vessel and also according to which routes each vessel serves. The majority are accessible to people with a disability.
6.16 Of the 12 ferry companies who responded to the consultation, only Corran Ferry, Orkney Ferries, Pentland Ferries and Shetland Island Council Ferry Services had vessels which were not accessible to wheelchair users. This accounted for 15 vessels out of a total of 70 vessels covered by the consultation (21%). Reasons given for inaccessibility were "vessel is too small to be converted" and "in the process of acquiring new vehicles or refurbishment".
Need for a Carer
6.17 Knowing in advance whether or not companies recommend disabled people travel with a carer was not highlighted as essential pre-travel information during our desk top research and consultation phase. However, the study team decided to check general ferry company advice on this topic due to the fact it was known to be advised by a couple of companies.
6.18 The majority of ferry services enabled disabled people to travel independently, although Orkney Ferries and Shetland Island Council Ferry Services advise that a carer should accompany disabled passengers. John 'O' Groats ferries suggested that disabled people may need to contact a taxi company at the disembarkation point due to difficulties with fitting on the bus.
Visual Announcements
6.19 Only two ferry companies (representing 4% of all ferry vessels covered by the consultation) had on board visual as well as audio announcements. Shetland stated that their new vehicles will have this feature.
Disabled Toilets
6.20 The presence of on board toilets depended largely on the type of journey the vessels were employed on. Vessels used on short, five minute routes such as those operated by Corran Ferry, John 'O' Groats and SPT, did not have toilet facilities.
Future Accessibility Improvements
6.21 The average age of vessels reviewed during this research was 18 years. Glenelg Ferry (one vessel) and Pentland Ferries (two vessels) had the oldest fleets at 36 years and 35 years respectively. It is this age that is one of the biggest barriers to future accessibility improvements, if we exclude the vessels that are too small or are only used on very short trips and so lack seating and toilets.
6.22 However, the newest vessels (Smyril Line had one vessel that was less than two years old) are fully accessible and tend to have features such as audio and visual announcements etc. In addition, all of the ferry operators stated that their staff would provide assistance to any disabled person in need of help.
6.23 The CalMac website page describes each of the vessels used on their 26 routes. Descriptions include a paragraph outlining passenger facilities such as shop, toilets (including disabled) disabled lift and seating. There is no mention, however, of the presence or lack of facilities such as induction loops, visual announcement screens, wheelchair loan and the availability of staff assistance. The team consider it would be relatively easy to upgrade this information to include notes of these features, if present.
Summary of ferry data available
6.24 In summary, information on vessel accessibility and terminal accessibility prior to travelling is currently limited using journey planning services and a potential passenger would generally have to contact the ferry operator directly if they had questions about a route's accessibility.
6.25 Obtaining the relevant accessibility information on Scottish ferry terminals and ferries for use by journey planning services would appear to be relatively easy, given that information sheets for all of the terminals and vessels used by CalMac, the largest internal operator, already exist. However, it is recommended that additional features are noted on CalMac information sheets for the benefit of passengers with a disability.
6.26 Obtaining information from smaller ferry operators could also be achieved relatively quickly, due to the small number of operators in Scotland. A data aggregator could send out a template of vessel features to each operator and request that a sheet is completed for each vessel / route operated. This information could be checked on a quarterly or 6 monthly basis.
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