Mr Garrett refuses to reinstate shared cabins. It appears to me that he says that shared cabins are not necessarily a good use of space. Apparently, partly due to the fact that these cabins are mainly taken up with visitor bookings. Not islander bookings, I may add.
‘Additional tonnage is the answer to capacity’, ferry chief says
In other words, islanders cannot book due to holiday traffic. Once again, I suggest that this does not meet the criteria for an essential service.
The Serco spokesperson suggests that islanders can go on Facebook to find a way to obtain a shared cabin! This is a complete farce.
Mr Garrett has mentioned before that due to Covid, no cabin share is allowed. It is for NorthLink to provide shared accommodation, not Facebook.
NorthLink are subsidised by Transport Scotland and are in a win-win situation. Once again, islanders are simply ignored, both by Serco and Transport Scotland.
Heather Butler
Lerwick
