Cowes Floating Bridge Removed from Service

[dom]

It sounds all cloak and dagger, but,
To run a year round service you need to make hay while the sun shines.
CHC also had a stakeholder engagement with Sally Taxis.
And, I've been told that Sally taxis and Cowes Water Taxi are were owned by the same people.
I can't understand MVs bitterness towards a company that's trying to fill a gap where the Chain Ferry has failed.

All fair points and you're right; personal bitterness (to the extent it exists) never helps this kind of discussion. That said, the 'cloak and dagger' perception is probably fueled by two factors:

• The IoW Council has a dismal track record of delivering what the island needs.and the Chain Ferry joins a long and illustrious list here!
• Poor disclosure/transparency over how public money is spent. The Council tries, but finds it hard to rid itself of a reputation supported by a number of external inquires.

In the case of the Water-Taxi/Chain-Ferry fiasco, the relevant authorities would help their cause by making a clear statement containing sufficient facts to enable the Island's residents to at least understand what went wrong and what is being done about it.

 

[Giblets]

All fair points and you're right; personal bitterness (to the extent it exists) never helps this kind of discussion. That said, the 'cloak and dagger' perception is probably fueled by two factors:

• The IoW Council has a dismal track record of delivering what the island needs.and the Chain Ferry joins a long and illustrious list here!
• Poor disclosure/transparency over how public money is spent. The Council tries, but finds it hard to rid itself of a reputation supported by a number of external inquires.

In the case of the Water-Taxi/Chain-Ferry fiasco, the relevant authorities would help their cause by making a clear statement containing sufficient facts to enable the Island's residents to at least understand what went wrong and what is being done about it.

Couldn't agree with you more. However with regard to the last comment I would suspect that, in the case of the chain-ferry, hands are tied should there be a possibility of going legal.

 

[colhel]

Lets face it, there isn't a Council in the Land that couldn't be accused of corruption or incompetence
My point is, I can't see anything untoward regarding the Cowes Water Taxi, unless of course you're relying on what someone said on Trip Adviser

http://www.cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/provision_of_harbour_water_taxi_service

 

[JumbleDuck]

• The IoW Council has a dismal track record of delivering what the island needs.and the Chain Ferry joins a long and illustrious list here!

My local council has just allocated another £3m to rebuild a leisure centre which closed when it was less than five years old, and which is costing more than the original cost to repair. Amongst other errors, I am told that the 25m swimming pool was actually 24.95m long, making it unusable for competitions and galas.

 

[dom]

Lets face it, there isn't a Council in the Land that couldn't be accused of corruption or incompetence
My point is, I can't see anything untoward regarding the Cowes Water Taxi,....

Set the 'probity bar' that low and sure, everything seems fine and dandy

Sad to say, you have probably placed it just about perfectly :ambivalence:

 

[burgundyben]

Red Funnel to sponsor ferry.

https://onthewight.com/red-funnel-step-in-to-sponsor-evening-medina-crossing/

 

[lw395]

My local council has just allocated another £3m to rebuild a leisure centre which closed when it was less than five years old, and which is costing more than the original cost to repair. Amongst other errors, I am told that the 25m swimming pool was actually 24.95m long, making it unusable for competitions and galas.

Every swimming pool built by a council seems to have rumours about being slightly too short.
It's almost as common as allegedly forgetting to take into account the weight of the water...
A certain South Coast City had an 'olympic' pool that was not quite long enough, because you need a few extra centimetres for the timing sensors allegedly.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Every swimming pool built by a council seems to have rumours about being slightly too short.

My source was a competition swimmer who used the pool to train. The Scottish Short Course Gala was moved elsewhere in very odd circumstances shortly before the place closed for rebuilding, and there seems to be no doubt that the construction work was extraordinarily sloppy.

It's almost as common as allegedly forgetting to take into account the weight of the water...

Also commonly appears as forgetting the weight of books in a library. Snopes has it covered: http://www.snopes.com/college/halls/sinking.asp

A certain South Coast City had an 'olympic' pool that was not quite long enough, because you need a few extra centimetres for the timing sensors allegedly.

You may be thinking of the Leeds International Pool, a 50m pool which was never used for competition. Definitive information is hard to find, but it has been reported that (a) the timing sensors were forgotten or (b) the thickness of tiles was forgotten. There is a myth that it was too narrow, but although it wasn't up to Olympic standards it was fine (at least in width) for other FINA events. It may just have been that Ponds Forge was nicer.

 

[MedinaView]

After a little bit of time to put some facts together to try and put forward my point about things being a bit strange with regards to Water Taxis and the whole chain ferry thing in Cowes, here is some reading to hopefully support my suspicions.


Initially it appears that John Corby the Chairman of the CHC Advisory Board met with Mark Young of Sally Water Taxis to discuss a subsidy early 2016. This can be found in the minutes here.

http://www.cowesharbourcommission.c.../CHC_Advisory_Committee_Minutes_July_2016.pdf


However later in 2016 according to Mark Young of Sally Water Taxis, this deal was done with someone else? of which the Harbour Master has confirmed the subsidy went to Folly Ventures instead, and he has stated that they are a parent company of Sally Water Taxis........Keep reading as this is where it gets interesting.
http://www.cowesharbourcommission.c...Advisory_Committee_Minutes_September_2016.pdf


2017 It seems that the stakeholders benefit has been awarded to Cowes Water Taxis, who are the same to partners as Folly Ventures, who were awarded the benefit in 2016 and East Cowes Marina have also subsidised them to the value of £10k in moorings.
http://www.cowesharbourcommission.c...CHC_Advisory_Committee_Minutes_April_2017.pdf

So far we can see that Mark Young who was running Sally Water Taxis was never funded by CHC, but Robin Stuart Holt and David Steven Foyle who are the same directors of Folly Ventures and Folly Waterbus and Cowes Water Taxi were, and they also were given free moorings via East Cowes Marina and Green King.


So then the Tripadvisor Review which has been deleted along with all other trace of Sally Water Taxis.

It does so far sound like CHC may well have paid Folly Ventures/Cowes Water Taxis to get shot of Sally Water Taxi/Mark Young.

Having dug through the few facts I could find on the internet, a small search of Facebook brings up some interesting facts.


I will call this one Mark Young bites back.......it sounds like someone has finally rattled his cage into giving up a little information that has not been anywhere else. The horses mouth and all that.


The only other piece I can find from the horses mouth.

So, it does look like CHC have forced a monopoly on the river with regards to Water Taxis, and now the Floating Bridge is out of action, which is also a result of CHCs actions, the only way of crossing the river is by one company.

Admittedly a conspiracy theory, but interesting nevertheless?


Last but not least, it appears that Sally Water Taxi were actually Medina Water Taxi Ltd and Sally was just a trading name, but Folly Ventures/Cowes Water Taxi Partner owns a Limited Company by the same name?

It all seems very strange, but since whatever happened, it appears that CHC have forced Mark Young's hand, and now its all one company and no competition, the fares have risen.

Make what you will of my ramblings, but it was such an important service to Cowes and it ran every day of the year, which sadly it no longer does.

 

[Malabar]

Mark Young worked extremely hard to make a go of Sally Taxis, but eventually very long hours with high overheads and poor returns took their toll. Mark moved on. Berth holders and visitors on the harbour pontoons need a water taxi service. The only remaining year-round taxi operator, Folly Ventures, was also struggling to square the books. The cost of running a ferry from East Cowes to the Folly Moorings at 8pm on a wet Thursday night in October for 1 passenger fare exceeded the fare charged. The good days never really made up for the bad days. Cowes Harbour Commissioners collectively agreed to subsidise the new "Cowes Harbour Taxi" Service which combined the assets of Folly Water Taxis, Sally Taxis and the Folly Water Bus in order to at least keep some sort of water bus service on the River Medina. CHC's policy of not promoting a water taxi monopoly on the river, or indeed of not setting CHC up in competition with any commercial operator remains. However the fact remains that the only water taxi operations that make any money are those that just turn out for the peak events such as the Pop Festival, Cowes Week and the Round the Island Race. Cowes is very different to Yarmouth or Bucklers Hard where the trips are generally much shorter. Cowes Harbour needs a water taxi service and Cowes Harbour Taxis are doing their best to provide it (No, I am in no way involved with that business) but even with CHC's subsidy they are still struggling to keep accounts in the black.

 

[MedinaView]

Did you read what I have posted? Perhaps the comments by Mark Young himself? It sounds like Sally were forced out by CHC paying Folly to do so?

Perhaps I am reading this all wrong and I should message the man himself to find the truth between the now much more expensive and unreliable level of service?

CHC appear to be the lead behind there being no service to cross the river other than Cowes Water Taxi/Folly Waterbus/Folly Ventures.

 

[{151760}]

Did you read what I have posted? Perhaps the comments by Mark Young himself? It sounds like Sally were forced out by CHC paying Folly to do so?

Perhaps I am reading this all wrong and I should message the man himself to find the truth between the now much more expensive and unreliable level of service?

CHC appear to be the lead behind there being no service to cross the river other than Cowes Water Taxi/Folly Waterbus/Folly Ventures.

It sounds more to me like Sally taxis were struggling to the extent that the owner was getting ill, so CHC stepped in to ensure a continuing service. I don't suppose subsidising a taxi service is in their mission statement.
I have no connection with any organisation mentioned, other than being an occasional user.

 

[MedinaView]

It still doesn't sound that way to me. The more snippets I find and the fact that CHC were already subsidising Folly to do Cowes before Sally had disappeared, it does seem like Sally was backed into a corner by CHC+Folly.


https://www.facebook.com/david.shearer.9231/posts/10157222722741515

 

[MedinaView]

One more that's worth reading the comments.

It does really sounds like the Folly were trying to put Sally out of business and by CHCs admission in their minutes they were subsidising Folly Ventures to do this from the beginning of 2016.

https://www.facebook.com/MedinaWaterTaxi/photos/1247417025290941

I know it all sounds like conspiracy, but it certainly does seem to be one of the tales of what happened on the river, and when you listen to them all and read the comment, it does seem convincing to me.

 

[{151760}]

I will maintain the view that from the information I have, it's not possible to draw a firm conclusion about the reasons for the unfortunate events that occurred. I don't consider Facebook comments as a very credible source. There is obviously some disappointment and anger at the demise of Sally Taxis, but that in itself isn't evidence of sharp practice. Let's hope that a good reliable taxi service is in place for next year.

 

[MedinaView]

Let's hope that a good reliable taxi service is in place for next year.

Very true. Onwards and upwards.

 

[MedinaView]

According to the water taxi the chain ferry is being removed until April, so the taxi is now the only way to cross the river.

 

[colhel]

You still have the Jenny Lee don't you?

 

[Giblets]

According to the water taxi the chain ferry is being removed until April, so the taxi is now the only way to cross the river.

Does the term "being removed" mean that it is actually being taken away or is it staying and just popping backwards and forwards two or three times a day as it appears to have been doing for the last four weeks or so?

 

[MedinaView]

You still have the Jenny Lee don't you?

Didn't have it on Friday night when we came over. It was one the small white Folly Taxis.

Does the term "being removed" mean that it is actually being taken away or is it staying and just popping backwards and forwards two or three times a day as it appears to have been doing for the last four weeks or so?

Apparently its being taken away so they don't have to keep paying to keep staff onboard 24/7.