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Ferries cost us a pittance compared to buses and trains who are very heavily subsidised. The ferries get a relatively small historic subsidy from the tunnels.

The accounts in recent years have been written in such a way as to make reality almost undecipherable and internal money transfers within Merseytravel departments are not obvious.


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Originally Posted by diggingdeeper
also the traffic in the more southern parts of the Wirral that travel to Liverpool (and further afield) via Runcorn as that route is more cost effective.


I don't know anyone who goes via Runcorn to get to Liverpool. The M56 is always busy, more dangerous (there's a crash almost every day, including one yesterday)

http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/chester-m56-m53-crash-causes-9694436

And the Runcorn expressways and the bridge are also heavy with traffic, especially as there are roadworks at the moment.

Factor in the time and fuel taken, its hardly cost effective at all.

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Originally Posted by diggingdeeper
Ferries cost us a pittance compared to buses and trains who are very heavily subsidised.


You might want to check your figures on that. Start with staff - how many people on a ferry compared to a few buses?

Deck crew salary is £15k-£17k & shift or weekend allowance.

Then look at maintenance costs and spare parts. How much to maintain a radar system for example

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When I did my stint with the Corpy and we had to go to Scotty Road area for parts various (which happened quite regularly), our manager used to tell us to fill the van with diesel and go over the Runcorn bridge because he couldn't be arsed arranging petty cash for the tunnel fare.Isn't it good to know your Council tax is being spent so judiciously?

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Great times Lud - Off to Fenton's Flues and Fixings for a couple of screws!!
With your love of driving and me riding shotgun, knocking the ZZZZZs out!!!
You could write a book -seriously.

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Originally Posted by Gibbo
Originally Posted by diggingdeeper
Ferries cost us a pittance compared to buses and trains who are very heavily subsidised.


You might want to check your figures on that.


I do - I have been in correspondence with the Council and Merseytravel a number of times.

Using the 2012/2013 figures (the last year before they jumbled the figures up), rounded figures to millions.

Trains cost us £97 million (plus £18 million in fares etc)
Buses cost us £22 million (plus £10 million in fares etc)
Tunnels cost us nothing (except £37 million in tolls etc)
Ferries made money for us (except £12 million in fares etc)

Even if the Ferries make a small loss it is chicken-feed compared to what the buses and trains cost us.

Ferries:
Running cost £12 million
Income £12 million
Subsidy/Grant NIL (made a profit)
Council tax levy NIL (made a profit)

Tunnels:
Running cost £37 million
Income £37 million
Subsidy/Grant NIL (didn't make a loss)
Council tax levy NIL (didn't make a loss)

Buses:
Running cost £31 million
Income £10 million
Subsidy NIL
Council tax levy £22 million

Trains:
Running cost £115 million
Income £18 million
Subsidy £96 million
Council tax levy £1 million

The only hidden figure is the historic subsidy that the tunnels pay the ferry which I think is about £1 million.

Even if the Ferries make a small loss it is chicken-feed compared to what the buses and trains cost us. Yet its always the ferries under threat to save money????




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Originally Posted by parkhill62
Great times Lud - Off to Fenton's Flues and Fixings for a couple of screws!!
With your love of driving and me riding shotgun, knocking the ZZZZZs out!!!
You could write a book -seriously.
Yes Parky , I'm still thinking about writing a book about my time with W.B.C. I've got to be wary of litigation obviously, but I could write about all the lovely people that work there, and the bottom feeders (N.M.) all the funny stories, and of course I know where all the bodies are buried. I hope I manage to write it before old age, decrepitude and excessive wine consumption take their toll. By the way , are you still wearing lead underpants?

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Originally Posted by diggingdeeper
Originally Posted by Gibbo
Originally Posted by diggingdeeper
Ferries cost us a pittance compared to buses and trains who are very heavily subsidised.


You might want to check your figures on that.


I do - I have been in correspondence with the Council and Merseytravel a number of times.

Using the 2012/2013 figures (the last year before they jumbled the figures up), rounded figures to millions.

Trains cost us £97 million (plus £18 million in fares etc)
Buses cost us £22 million (plus £10 million in fares etc)
Tunnels cost us nothing (except £37 million in tolls etc)
Ferries made money for us (except £12 million in fares etc)

Even if the Ferries make a small loss it is chicken-feed compared to what the buses and trains cost us.

Ferries:
Running cost £12 million
Income £12 million
Subsidy/Grant NIL (made a profit)
Council tax levy NIL (made a profit)

Tunnels:
Running cost £37 million
Income £37 million
Subsidy/Grant NIL (didn't make a loss)
Council tax levy NIL (didn't make a loss)

Buses:
Running cost £31 million
Income £10 million
Subsidy NIL
Council tax levy £22 million

Trains:
Running cost £115 million
Income £18 million
Subsidy £96 million
Council tax levy £1 million

The only hidden figure is the historic subsidy that the tunnels pay the ferry which I think is about £1 million.

Even if the Ferries make a small loss it is chicken-feed compared to what the buses and trains cost us. Yet its always the ferries under threat to save money????




You need to clarify - do your bus figures include all the buses in the region, or just the ones which do the same job as the ferries?

The ferry is now a novelty, nothing more than a tourist attraction, with maybe a little support from cyclists who don't want to use the trains.

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