[BBC News] Consultation plea on fuel prices

[Newsbot]

The Steam Packet Company's increase in fuel surcharges needs to be discussed in public, a pressure group says.

 

Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/...man/7583905.stm

[conradthewoollyllama]

"The company has said the cost of fuel for a return trip from the island to Liverpool can be as much as £15,000"

 

So sometimes can be, but isn't always?

 

It's probably right that it's discussed in public. There's going to have to be some good reasoning behind doubling the surcharge (unless of course the price of fuel has doubled in the last year)

 

Then again, desperate times and all that.

[Sebrof]

"The company has said the cost of fuel for a return trip from the island to Liverpool can be as much as £15,000"

 

So sometimes can be, but isn't always?

 

It's probably right that it's discussed in public. There's going to have to be some good reasoning behind doubling the surcharge (unless of course the price of fuel has doubled in the last year)

 

 

How do you work that out? The fuel surcharge is quite small, and represents only a fraction of the Racket's fuel bill. If oil doubled in price tomorrow, they'd probably have to up the surcharge by at least twenty times to cover the increase.

 

S

[Gagster]

It's all a load of nonsense anyway... sure £2.50 each way is a tiny amount, erm - it's the £350-£400 fare that gets my goat!

 

If I got a quote for a fare for a crossing this week and it was £x, but then got a quote for the same journey in the future when fuel costs risen - I would expect the fare to go up. It seems what actually happens is, the fare goes up - and then they stick a surcharge on it.

 

 

 

Anyway - if you get on a bus, you pay your fare and go - the driver doesn't ask you to contribute to the cost of the fuel.

 

If you a buy a hi-fi from a shop - you pay for it and take it away - the shop staff don't ask you to contribute to the cost of the recent refurbishment.

 

 

So what happens if the Steam Packet ferry isn't all that full one day, do the staff ask the passengers to cough up before they depart. "erm, we're about £3k short - we take most credit and debit cards".