Ferry Pricing (Bent Trike)

DIscuss anything relating to non-standard cycles and their equipment.
UpWrong
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Joined: 31 May 2009, 12:16pm
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire

Re: Ferry Pricing (Bent Trike)

Post by UpWrong »

Jdsk wrote: 12 Jun 2022, 2:12pm I suggest writing to Cycling UK and asking if they could have a conversation with the difficult operators.

Jonathan
+1. Sounds like this needs clarification. Surely this is exactly the kind of thing Cycling UK should be getting involved in.
Jim N
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Joined: 29 May 2009, 10:41am

Re: Ferry Pricing (Bent Trike)

Post by Jim N »

Just seen this while posting on another subject. I have travelled many times to the Netherlands and France and never even thought of anything other than booking as a cycle. After all, a tricycle is as much a cycle as a bicycle, as, I guess, is a velomobile but that may be pushing the argument in terms of space
Psamathe
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Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Ferry Pricing (Bent Trike)

Post by Psamathe »

I raised the complaint. I then submitted some data about footprint/space taken (based on my own bike and my own recumbent trike).

I now have an e-mail stating pedal trikes can be booked as bicycles and if it's queried
If you need to make this booking over the phone for any reason and the agent queries it, please point the agent towards this email as proof of what has been said.
Ian
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[XAP]Bob
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Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: Ferry Pricing (Bent Trike)

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Glad you have that reference - but it really shouldn't have been that hard.

Are they going to update their website and internal documents?
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Ferry Pricing (Bent Trike)

Post by Jdsk »

Psamathe wrote: 20 Jun 2022, 10:44am I raised the complaint. I then submitted some data about footprint/space taken (based on my own bike and my own recumbent trike).

I now have an e-mail stating pedal trikes can be booked as bicycles and if it's queried
If you need to make this booking over the phone for any reason and the agent queries it, please point the agent towards this email as proof of what has been said.
Well done. And thanks for sharing that.

Jonathan
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pjclinch
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Location: Dundee, Scotland
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Re: Ferry Pricing (Bent Trike)

Post by pjclinch »

Point of info...

We went out to Europort/Rotterdam last year specifically to pick up a lean-to steer e-Trike. While I'm not sure we'd choose P&O now, what with one thing and another, the trike (quite some beast!) was booked for the return leg and charged as a bike.
We went out with two folders figuring we'd keep them in the cabin and save the money, though having carried them on board the crew suggested we park them on the vehicle deck anyway at no extra charge.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
Psamathe
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Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Ferry Pricing (Bent Trike)

Post by Psamathe »

[XAP]Bob wrote: 20 Jun 2022, 11:09am Glad you have that reference - but it really shouldn't have been that hard.

Are they going to update their website and internal documents?
I have sent a "suggestion" that they update their web site accordingly and they have confirmed they have passed it to their web team (all the people I've been dealing with can really do).

When I first talked to them I had the impression their "internal documents" on this was their public web site. The booking people were certainly confident as the person I was talking to on the phone put me on hold to double check with her supervisor about it who confirmed "as a car, priced as a car").

My complaint related to Portsmouth <-> Caen but their reply is clarifying in a general context. If anybody using the route has concerns I'm happy to e-mail them a pdf of the mail message with e-mail addresses redacted (i.e. so the reply becomes useful to anybody with concerns and not just for myself). The message does include the general footnote "This e-mail and the information it contains may be confidential and is for the intended addressee(s) only. ..." so I feel it would be wrong to publish in on an open website but pdf to others using the route and with concerns would not seem wrong.

Edit: I didn't raise the question of velomobiles as I know nothing about their size nor issues about them on ferries. Easier with trikes as I could give them real world measurements from my own. I'd think pursuing velomobiles would be a bit easier once their web site has changed and they've thus publicly set pedal trike policy (within the company and for "the world").

Ian
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