Ferry owner's anger over rival company plan
THE boss of a Bristol ferry boat firm is furious at plans for a new not-for-profit company after a rival firm went bust, with £600,000 worth of debt.
Richard Rankin has operated Number Seven Boat Trips (N7BT) for more than 13 years and is one of three ferry firms still operating on the Harbourside.
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Richard Rankin pictured with some of his boats
As reported in The Post, a Community Interest Company is being set up after the Bristol Ferry Boat Company went out of business in the run-up to Christmas.
The original founder of the firm Ian Bungard, and a group of six others with an interest in transport issues, have successfully bid to buy the fleet of five distinctive yellow and blue boats which belonged to the Bristol Ferry Boat Company at auction.
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A consortium, including Mr Bungard, along with Sustrans founder John Grimshaw and coordinated by local architect and sustainable transport campaigner Keith Hallett, joined forces to raise the cash to buy the boats in less than 72 hours after agreeing to re-launch the firm.
And more than 30 local people have agreed to invest in the project, pledging money for the purchase.
A Community Interest Company (CIC) will now be set up to run the service and local people given the opportunity to invest in the project. All profits will be ploughed back into the company to maintain, improve and extend the services.
It is hoped one ferry will be running again at weekends within the next few weeks with the entire fleet of five boats returning to the water by Easter.
But Mr Rankin, who runs his firm as a profit-making business, believes his rivals will have an unfair advantage and has written to the council with a series of questions about the deal.
He said: "We have been operating since 1999 and each year we have been able to make a modest profit.
"My concern is the fact that an application to run is planned to be submitted to restart the company formally known as the BFBC under a different name and branded as a Community Interest Company, with all the in-built government bias of being able to be considered a preferential supplier to the council that this status implies."
He added: "Anyone can see that this new operation will have an unfair advantage in what is already an extremely competitive market place.
"All of this has come just weeks after the Balmoral had to cancel its entire 2013 season due to the present trading situation. This, if allowed to go forward, would effectively devalue our companies and places us in an unfair trading position."
Ian Bungard said he hopes the company, which will be called Ferryboats Bristol, will be up and running within a couple of weeks.
He is in the process of setting up the firm and is meeting the harbour authorities later today to talk about licensing the boats bought at auction.
He added: "We will not get any unfair advantage or treatment, what we want to do is provide the best ferry boat service possible. We are all operating in the same pond and we do not want to fall out with anyone, we can all work together to provide a good service for the people of Bristol."
A City Council spokesman said: "Any future services would be let out to tender in the usual way following normal procurement procedures.
"There is no preferential treatment given to community interest companies as part of this process."
Comments
by seadogbristol
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 7:35PM
“Simples.
The HM likes to see fair play so isn't allowed to deal with the new ferry boat company. Its done by his boss who has recently been in talks to offload harbour property to the underfall yard which is run by an architect and property developer. The architect has an interest in the new ferryboat company and now the same two people are sorting out the contract for that!
As for mayor fergusson, architect, property developer and ex? Owner of the ferryboat company?
Mr Rankin has no chance.”
by dbrick
Wednesday, January 09 2013, 4:25PM
“init”
by MarkB29
Wednesday, January 09 2013, 10:02AM
“@Water***** - Very interesting questions. I'd like to see what answers he received. With a consortium of 30 local people involved in the new company, I'd be surprised if there weren't several conflicts of interest!”
by WaterPikey
Wednesday, January 09 2013, 9:38AM
“Found this on Number Seven's Facebook page this morning, noticed an odd anomaly - Why is the meeting with the Docks Manager and not with the Harbour Master?
http://tinyurl.com/aev22vp”
by MarkB29
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 4:28PM
“I accept that Mr Bungard only owned 15% of BFBC when it went bust, but that still infers a level of responsibility for the losses/mismanagement. This situation seems even more bizarre when the current Mayor owned 42% of the company ! Does he not have some say in awarding contracts to the various Ferry companies?
Perhaps more relevant is the comment from Mr Rankin on the current state of the market for Ferries in Bristol, when he says: "Given that BFBC crashed with debts in excess of £660,000 does the council think it is a good idea to let a not for profit company start up in opposition to 3 independent operators in the floating harbour?"
I think he knows what he's talking about and the losses incurred by BFBC speak for themselves. How many ferries does one city need for goodness sake?”
by bokbok
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 3:19PM
“Can't beat a good bit of competition.”
by bris28
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 2:41PM
“I hear that Mr Salvidge has got a top job in Newlyn Harbour. The Harbour Commissioners there seem to have pulled off a coup in getting him on board. I understand he's been telling them how he helped to redevelop the Bristol Floating Habour. Meanwhile, Mrs S. is in France, I believe. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the Receiver's meeting whenever that is held.”
by WaterPikey
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 1:31PM
“@bris28 - if something smells distinctly fishy you raise your concerns, that is not 'moaning and groaning
@Hartman81 - BFBC went bust due to mismanagement
@MarkB29 - Almost correct, however Mr Bungard was only a shareholder (along with George Ferguson and Jane Salvidge) at the time of liquidating the company
@FromMendip - pretty accurate
@Katachua - Bungard may have had a minority share but combined with Georges share they could have stopped failing management (Jane Salvige) by voting her out at a shareholders meeting, MarkB29 is right with one point - let the company go bust then buy the assets back cheap minus the debits
Find the document Mr Rankin submitted to Democratic Services (on Friday, 4 January, 2013, 11:23) at this link;
http://tinyurl.com/bj3w6mm”
by WaterPikey
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 1:29PM
“@bris28 - if something smells distinctly fishy you raise your concerns, that is not 'moaning and groaning
@Hartman81 - BFBC went bust due to mismanagement
@MarkB29 - Almost correct, however Mr Bungard was only a shareholder (along with George Ferguson and Jane Salvidge) at the time of liquidating the company
@FromMendip - pretty accurate
@Katachua - Bungard may have had a minority share but combined with Georges share they could have stopped failing management (Jane Salvige) by voting her out at a shareholders meeting, MarkB29 is right with one point - let the company go bust then buy the assets back cheap minus the debits
Find the document Mr Rankin submitted to BCC Democratic Services (on Friday, 4 January, 2013, 11:23) at this link;
http://tinyurl.com/bj3w6mm”
by katachua
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 12:31PM
“@MarkB29
"Hang about people. So Mr Bungard goes bust for £600k, showing he clearly can't run a ferry business"
DO keep up at the back! The business went bust long after Mr Bungard sold his majority interest and went off to Spain.”