Please tell us your experience from your hovercraft ride.
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on Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 9:30 am.
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I took the 8am services from Kirkcaldy to Edinburgh on the 16th of July and returned in the evening. Stagecoach and Lothian buses have clearly taken a lot of trouble in organising something as logistically complex as this and are to be commended for it.
As somebody who would be very keen to be a commuter on a service like this I think they need to do some work on ticketing however. At £9.50 return peak time ticket holders are paying a premium of 58% over those who travel after 9am. So I felt particularly bad at having to wait an hour at Portobello because what had been scheduled to be the last service of the day was full to capacity (in the end an extra service was added for the 40 or so people in the same situation). If you are going to have peak time periods it might be best to enforce them for travel at both morning and evening rush hours.
Again as a commuter I would appreciate the ability to buy a weekly or season ticket and hence obtain a discount.
I was on the first commuter crossing, at 07:10 on the Monday 16/7. Everything went really well, didnt think the ride was too rough & was in work by 07:55, so very pleased.
Return journey was something else. Tried catching the X90 bus on Princes St & was ignored by the driver. Caught next bus at 17:00 & was told the 17:30 hovercraft was full. So an hour wait until the 18:30 hovercraft. Home two hours late.
Wouldnt have minded so much, but I had paid the full fare £9.50 & the 17:30 was full with people paying the concessionary fare.
If you want commuters to use this, then they need to know they can get back at the regular commuting times & pay a fair price.
Stagecoach will say the hovercraft was a victim of it’s own success, but being in the business they are in, they should have known this & made allowances. Poor planning & some greed on their part.
That aside, I really hope this works for then, as it can only help Kirkcaldy.
Would be better to go in to Leith (Ocean Terminal) & needs to be significantly cheaper than train.
Phil - comment 1. The ticket prices are the same as if you were using the Stagecoach bus service to Edinburgh - hence the peak time charge. You can buy a weekly “Edinburgh Megarider” from Stagecoach for £18, which can be used on the service.
I went for the 11.00 service at Kirkcaldy, to be told that it had been filled by 10.10. Rather than wait until the next service at 1pm, we decided to board the next direct bus and use the hovercraft for our return journey.
We tried to board the shuttle bus at Ocean Terminal at 2pm, but there was already a large queue building up. The Lothian Buses officer who was managing the queue advised us that ticket holders would be given priority over those who hadn’t already bought tickets, and that there was only room for 40 passengers on the bus. We eventually were able to board the 3pm shuttle bus, but had to leave behind some passengers who had tickets, due to the bus being full.
I agree with comment 2 Martin Prince, commuters need to know that they’ll be able to get home at peak times. However, I think starting the trial on a local public holiday was a bit misjudged.
Agree with all the above comments. I wanted to post to this blog to offer my wholehearted support to this venture. The hovercraft is an excellent idea and I’ve always felt it sad we make so little of the water to help reduce pressure on bottlenecks such as the forth crossing. I travel into Edinburgh from further into Fife but am happy making the trip into Kirkcaldy if I can be confident the connections and return crossing can be made comfortably and efficiently. Overall journey time isn’t much improved, but at the right price and once the teething problems are resolved I would be an immediate convert. I am however concerned the whole trial is decending into a farce with commuters lost amidst the masses on family outings. I hope tomorrow’s return arrangements for those such as myself who catch the 7.10am sailing are smoother than they were today. For other wavering commuters out there, I was assured if we’re on the early sailings we can effectively ‘reserve’ a place on a particular crossing back in the evening - let’s hope this works! I want to play my part in helping to make this a success. I hope a permanent hovercraft crossing is a matter of months rather than years away.
I agree with much of the above. The hovercraft is a great idea that should be made to work. There is obviously some fine tuning necessary to target commuters and tourists and to take into account the problems encountered on the return journey.
I took the 8.00am service to Edinburgh, which was great, but then had a good 1.5 hour wait on the return journey at ~6pm. I don’t agree that the service needs to be cheaper than the train - a comparable cost and a better travelling experience would be enough. The route also suits me fairly well - access to East Edinburgh is needed and it’s pretty convenient for the New Royal Infirmary. I find it difficult to believe that there isn’t the demand for more than one route. Why not three services; Kirkcaldy to Portobello, Burntisland to Leith and Rosyth to Granton. The forth has been an under used resource for too long.
In the long run beter facilities at either end are essential and it would be nice to see the Kirkcaldy end revamped imaginatively to form a welcoming gateway to Fife for tourists who use the service.
OK - Wednesday 07:10 from Kirkcaldy. The crowd looks quite different from Monday morning - no media people, overt hovercraft nerds or MSPs in sight today. Fellow passengers are dressed for work and there are more of us - about 3/4 capacity. I think I saw a dog to. Does the service take dogs?
Thanks to advice from Susy I have my megarider ticket. I now see that this is mentioned on the main brochure but there was not really a mention of what it was or how it could save me a bunch of money as a commuter. My normal route is from Kinghorn to South Gyle and the train will probably always be the easiest way - however with a megarider fare the hovercraft route could save me about £3 per day over my monthly pass on the train. I did not expect that and this would make the service a lot more attractive to me.
Another great innovation which I see today for the first time is a “priority booking number” - a card with a couple of phone numbers on it - one for Portobello departures and one for Kirkcaldy. This is a very commendable attempt to get round my problem of commuters getting stranded or delayed at the end of the day. The numbers appear to be people’s mobiles so I have a few problems getting through and the process seems to involve them noting down that somebody is interested in booking a place on the 1830 return journey - no mention of who. We will have to see how this pans out.
I think that a full service would greatly benefit from a website that allows priority booking to be sorted that way. This could also be a good way of letting people know in advance if services are not running for any reason.
Returning to Kirkcaldy Wednesday evening for 6:30 sailing: The bus leaves Waverley bang on time and arrives at Portobello on schedule too. The handful of us who have priority boarding cards are singled out and led to the front of the queue for people waiting to get aboard. We look a bit smug - and a bit guilty too. In our excitement it takes us a few minutes to notice the problem: no hovercraft. It arrives about 20 minutes behind schedule and starts to discourage passengers. These passengers look like they have just come off “”Pirates of the Carribean” - many children (including what looks like a newborn baby), some elderly people. Getting everybody down the single set of rather steep stairs and re-united with their pushchairs and bikes takes several minutes and I am guessing this is what is contributing to a cumulative delay. Those of us in the priority queue would like to view the service as something like a commuter jet while the bulk of those behind us would rather look at is as a charabanc. To maximise the success of a permanent service Stagecoach would need to please both groups.
I have been using the hovercraft since Tuesday and think it is a great way to travel. At this point timings are obviously slighlty out but I am impressed with the staff who keep you informed and the fact they are clearly working to improve the system for commuters all the time (priority tickets for regular users) I hope people continue to support it and bear with teething problems as this is the only way this will be considered as a viable option. It seems we are quick to critise what is after all a trial and it is my opinion we should persevere and conitnue to add suggestions and not quit the first time things dont run to plan. This will be the only way us Fifers may get a decent commutable service to Edinburgh.
Trip was great, staff were helpful; obviously some initial confusion. However if people are to use this as as a transport service rather than a donkey ride they need to be able to book seats, or at least be sure of getting on board if they arrive on time. Twice travelled to Fife with kids; twice had to get other transport back. Hope it works out.
Fully agree with most of the comments added so far. I travelled from Milnathort to Kirkady to get the hovercraft on Tuesday at 9.00am. I would have gone for the 8.00 am one but once I added in the cost of petrol the cost was a bit too high. I may try the megarider ticket if I can find out whre to buy one - Kirkaldy bus station perhaps ?
I just managed to get on the last sailing on Wednesday night and was told about the priority booking system by a Stagecoach representative in Edinburgh. Hovever when I got to Kirkcaldy I couldn’t find any one who could tell me anything about it, As a result I reverted back to the train fo the next two days.
To me frequency of sailings is of paramount importance. I belive that there is scope to serve both tourists and commuters if things are handled properly.
I am a regular commuter ro Edinburgh - usually travelling from Inverkeithing by train . I think Paddy’s idea of having 3 sperate services is fantastic !
A launch point from within easy reach of the motorway eg: Rosyth or Inverkeithing would draw a lot of people in.
I know that there are many more people out there who would use the service if it sailed from places other than just Kirkcaldy.
I thought that the Hovercraft was fsr more comfortable than the bus or train - I Think I’ll give it a few more goes !
On Thursday, three of us travelled down from Aberdeen to use the Hovercraft crossing. We arrived at 0940 and thought that we would get on the 1000 departure. Unfortunately, the queue was such that if we had joined it we would have got onto the 1200 departure.
As the queue was outside in the rain we decided not to stand for two hours and decided to return home. We were not alone, we spoke to a couple, who had travelled from Dunfermline, and also had abandoned the trip. They tried earlier in the week and had not managed to get on.
The ticketing policy of first come first served is not satifactory when people are travelling a distance to get there. I would not attempt it again unless I knew I was getting on a specific trip. An advanced booking option for all trips is essential. As it is, we had a futile 195 mile round trip.
I do wish the trial well though and accept that there will be teething problems.
I hope that I can use a permanent service in the future, with tickets bought in advance!!!
Thursday: Service is agreat idea, and the trains could use some competition. As a potential regular commuter, the reliability (or frequency) is paramount. So 15 or 20 minute spacings are essential at peak times if this is more than a joy-ride. Outside of peak, you can revert to 60min frequency, and either service the kit, or do diagonal services to other towns. In Scandanavia, this would be normal.
Some suggestions:
* How about speeding (dis)embarkation by using both sets of doors, one for in, whilst the other side for out?
* Do tell us about the Megarider £18 all-week deal BEFORE we buy a day return for £9.50. This service either has to be more reliable than the train or much cheaper.
* Priority boarding is essential if I am to feel secure using this each day.
* If your trial works, then get on with a service, rather than waiting for new permanent buildings and slipways, they can come along later.
* help me to book and print tickets and reserve or print my priority pass on-line, as well as live updates on delays or cancellations. I dont want to queue (ever?). Think ‘plane, not bus.
I agree with most of the comments above, I would just like to point out the obvious to everyone, this is a trial, and as such it is a learning process for everyone involved, having been involved in starting up some business concepts myself I understand and appreciate some of the issues that have occurred. Stagecoach have responded both quickly and professionally to some of the initial comments and observation and are from what I can see continually developing and improving the service, not bad for a 2 week trial I think! I have yet to travel on the service, however some family members have done so and found it to be very exciting and useful, they however are pensioners and get the service for free, which highlight one on the reasons why the queues are so long now! On their trip on Wednesday they observed large queues, mainly caused by non-commuters like themselves, mostly pensioners and families on the school holidays, perhaps it was an unfortunate time to trial the service at the start of the school holidays.
I think that this trial has already proved that this service has a market and should be rolled out ASAP. I agree totally with Stuart in that despite the issues we should all be thankful that someone is making and effort to improve our lives and help Stagecoach develop this service while it is operational, instead of waiting for years for the infrastructure to be finished.
Used the hovercraft on friday for a day trip to edinburgh was somewhat surprised to arrive at 9.10 am and see no queue we got on the 10 o clock no problem.The crossing was quick and very comfortable not at all like being on a boat even though the water was quite rough. Given the publicity about problems getting back we decided on the train. Hope this venture is a success as its a great idea
Was on the 7.10 service on Friday and very impressed.
The convenience of departing from Kirkcaldy was a major factor in choosing to try this service as was the fact there was some free parking for the trial. The staff were helpful and efficient. Rapid and smooth run over to Edinburgh taking just over 15 mins with the buses ready to pick people up to take them to Leith or Princes Street. Boarding the hovercraft was problem free.
Surprising amount of space onboard the hovercraft cabin with decent legroom and noise levels much lower than I had thought they’d be. The ride was surprisingly smooth with the minimum of rolling and pitching (most unlike similar sized boats I’ve been on…).
I agree with the above comments about publicity of the Megarider ticket being poor - although I admit its on some literature now I look closely. It hasn’t been given the publicity needed to attract commuters, many of whom see the headline £9.80 a day return and puts them off (a number of people I’ve spoken to have commented they thought the hovercraft was more expensive than the train, due to comparing the headline daily return price of the hovercraft against the cost of a weekly or monthly train pass). It took me a couple of days to find out about it.
For commuters Stagecoach are now providing a priority number to call to book yourself on a return journey - a great idea given the number of commuters experiencing probs getting home earlier in the week - unfortunately its only a single mobile phone and people have been experiencing probs getting through / leaving vocemail messages, including asking for confirmation and not getting a reply.
I realise its a trial, but perhaps Stagecoach could adapt its online booking system used for Megabus and Megatrain to let regular travellers book on the hovercraft as the phone line is under strain? (Particularly as we are paying a premium over some of the other travellers! We need to know we’ll get home at a reasonable time). Perhaps also having two distinct boarding queues at peak times - priority ticket holders (with different coloured boarding cards) and another for people who did not prebook may also speed along matters.
Another suggestion, given the Rail Bridge is going to have problems next week with the work at Inverkeithing station, would be to have better integration with existing LRT services at Portobello - currently there are no ‘forth fast’ buses going from the hover terminal to Drumbrae, Gyle or RBS at Gogarburn. As LRT already has an express service that travels from elsewhere in Porto to these destinations, could it not collect people at the hovercraft terminal to further extend the reach of the service? I realise it may be too late to arrange / publicise this for the trial, but may be a consideration for the future.
Happy to see that by Friday the hovercraft was carrying a number of pedal bikes in the side lockers, though it did appear getting them in and out was a bit of a time consuming task on the temporary landing sites. As the trains are very limited in bike carrying capacity (especially at peak times) from Fife, its a positive step, and one I didn’t see publicised.
Overall a very positive experience and look forward to week two of the trial. Hope the venture is a success.
Just a comment - although survey forms are on board the hovercraft in a cardboard box with a note scribbled in biro, they aren’t being publicised or handed out, so those running the survey are not getting representative feedback from travellers. In addition this feedback site could do with a lot better publicity.
Havent been on the hovercraft yet but have seen it arriving in Portobello as I live on the seafront, and it is very dramatic to watch it coming in. I plan to use it and would love to have the norh shore more easily accessible to here. Re Stuart’s comment - ‘think plane not bus’- what kind of airports do you go to! The endless queing in airports, carrying luggage, has been one of the things that makes me opt for the train if it at all possible as a viable option. But queing would definitely put me off the hovercraft.
bikes on the hovercraft would also be an important factor for me, (for leisure cycling in Fife) but i would defintitely want to be able to buy tickets at the point of departure rather than on a bus as I am a cyclist and dont really use the bus much. Hope this trial works out and it becomes a permanent feature. it will add a lot to living in portobello.
First tried the hovercraft on the 7 am crossing Wednesday 18th, was really impressed with the organisation and friendliness of the staff. I was lucky the priority boarding passess had been introduced, and the bus stopped on my request right outside my office - what a bonus! Different story coming back for the 5.30 crossing, had to first attract the attention of the bus driver to stop and pick me up (no mean feat). with no hovercraft at Portobello, and a 35 minute wait on the sea shore! Didn’t try it on Thursday but decided to give it another a go on Friday 20th - what a joy! 8am crossing was touble free and the 4.30 return was a dream, apart from having to waive like a maniac at the bus driver to stop and pick me up!
I have been really impressed by the speed at which teething troubles have been addressed. I am a regular commuter to Edinburgh and would choose the hovercraft as my preferred method of travel especially now I have discovered the megarider ticket and the pre-booking system.
If a service is to be introduced that suits all commuters it must consider the many shift workers that cannot use public transport because of shift patterns. I work 12.5hr shifts and there is no way at the end of the day I want to be held up in anyway going home.
I would love to have tried the hovercraft, but the present trial would not allow me to get to work for a 7:30 start at the WGH, so was unable.
An integrated bus service is a must for this to work and not just for the city centre, or Ocean Terminal, Stagecoach should consider the many NHS workers who travel to the NRIE, or WGH from Fife at pretty unsociable hrs.
I travelled over Thursday 19 July by 1030 from Portobello. Full trip, quite windy. Wasn’t too impressed with being herded a la Ryanair into a fenced enclosure on the blowy prom; the journey over was surprisingly rough, especially midway. It made me wonder how much rougher it would need to be before it was cancelled. Craft was dropping into the troughs quite a lot, felt like a rough boat trip. I swithered about going back by hovercraft, but the queuing crowds at Kirkcaldy put me off, combined with the thought of another gut-wrenching, so I chickened out and got the train back over. I think I would use it as a commuter if the facilities were a bit better, and would just weather the rougher days. I see most commentators had a better trip than me.
Passenger must be sure that they have a seat before they commit themselves to the journey, e.g. leave Waverley station. Finding out in Portobello that you havn’t got a seat does not give you the option to change travel plans (e.g. take the train). It is important that passengers can be certain that they arrive at their destination within a certain time frame. Leisure journeys are not too bad, but people commuting to work, just have to arrive in time.
And what what would I do if I wanted to come back on the last crossing and it was full? No such worries with the train or bus.
I was also on the first 7.10am crossing on Monday the 16th from Kircaldy. My experience was the same as Martin Price who was also on the same crossing. Very exciting and enjoyable crossing, despite the rain and wind. I got to work only half an hour later than usual.
Again I returned on the same 17.00 bus as Martin, and had to wait in a long queue for over an hour to get back as the 17.30 crossing was full. Thankfully it was warm and sunny and the day-trippers were in a good mood, so the wait was not too painful. If us genuine commuters could be guaranteed a seat on the return trips that would be great. I assume with two craft on the route a lot of the delays would be solved?
Introducing an earlier crossing of 6.10 would also be helpful as I could really get to work on time.
I wish the venture all success and I hope to see a regular service implemented.
I used this service for the first time on Friday 20th July. I arrived at 7.45am for the 8.00am crossing. There were no q’s for buying tickets. I found it odd though that only about a qtr of people on the service were business people and the rest were day tripers. The service was less than half full.
I want to commend stagecoach on the whole organisation of this trial and the way it is managed on site as I have, so far found it seemless.
When I arrived at Kirkcaldy i was asked if I were a regular traveller and when I said I was they gentleman advised me to book my seats for the following week. If I have one critism of this service the booking service would be it. I tried constantly for an hour and a half to get through but when I did the lady who dealth with me was very helpful and so far I’ve had now problems with my bookings.
I do feel a six o’clock service is also needed for the return journey as I finish work at 5.30 but am hanging around for the bus and then the last hovercraft, meaning that I am home later than I’d be if traveling by car.
I travel in by car and although I do experience the odd headache or two i am used to commuting in the car and don’t find it too bad so careful consideration needs to be given to the final costings of this service when, hopefully, it’s fully operational if it is to tempt people away from the versatility of their cars or using the train.
I think an on-line booking service and a frequent traveler charge (£18) are the keys to keeping this service popular.
Keep up the good work though as this is a service for the future.
Normally a rail traveller to Haymarket but well stuffed by Scotrail this week.
Using public transport all the way in the morning my connections are great and altho taking 45mins longer than train ,I’m happy but coming home it’s suicidal even tho I’ve booked for the 5.30. It takes 55mins by bus from Haymarket to Portobello (have they stacked all the buses in Ed’bro along Princes Street?)last night it took the special bus longer to get from Waverley Bridge to Regents Road longer than it took the Hovercraft to cross the Forth! At Kirkcaldy connections to catch the X1 to Glenrothes or X59 to Cupar were pathetic.Spent 40 mins in Wetherspoons drowning my sorrows/waiting for the bus.Suddenly Scotrail have only half stuffed me!
This morning got off X59 to be told unlikely to get on 8am ferry,turned round and Ed’bro bus had gone - come on Stagecoach get co-ordinated, I could have stayed on the bus if I’d been told before I got off.
The blog is full of good sensible stuff , I guess Stagecoach are reading it - their constant improvements show theyare learning all the time. I agree, this was never going to be a representative trial for many reasons except if it was not going to be busy over these two weeks it never would. Re Suffering Local Resident, now you know what it feels like when a government sponsored entrepreneur sticks up a wind turbine or open cast mine or a neighbour/developer sticks up a house/extension and spoils your view - nothing’s sacred!
…I agree with most comments…having travelled to edinburgh for years it is paramount that when you are working, you are able to get on the hovercraft at the specified time and have the connections available..as not everyone works on ‘flex-time’…..however having been given the dedicated mobile number to book the service, I tried continually on the friday the 20th…still to no avail… went down to try the 10am service on the 21st, the queue being massive..and was informed that I would be lucky to get on the 2pm service….having a toddler with me..its just not practicle to wait for hours…went home by bus…and on the monday tried to contact the number again, to book for this friday…being informed by the line provider that the phone is switched off!! Called stagecoach to be told that you can only contact the mobile number to book service…told them that the number not contactable!!!….sorry …but lost the will to live…I am sure that if the trial goes ahead that the above problems would be rectified…however it will probably be a good few years/months if introduced…..
I am travelling on the last day of sailing tomorrow. [Sat 28th July]. I am purely doing this for nostalgia. I hope that a permanent crossing is implemented soon. If this was the case then I really think that two hovercraft would be needed to accomodate both commuters and day trippers/tourists. I have talked to many people who have managed to get a ticket on the outward journey from Kirkcaldy, but have had to bus it back from Edinburgh. I have reserved places tomorrow but still worry about my return journey with my family which includes two small children. Lets hope the weather is good!
I think that the hovercraft is a genius idea and once the wee niggles are sorted out is a great alternative to all other forms of travel. I wish all involved the very best.
four friends and myself planned a day out in kirkcaldy on sat 21st july..we turned up at ten in the morning hoping to catch the 1030 crossing.however on our arrival we were informed that the earliest crossing we would get would be the 130..that meant we would have to wait for three hours …which we were prepared to do …lots of young familys with kids were faced with the same situation.. kids were in tears as parents understandly didnt fancy a three hour wait….this could have all been easily resolved if a pre paid bookinsystem had been in place..we were given a mobile no to phone which is a total waste of time as the phone is permentley switched off!!! until things improve we wont be back …..
I took the hovercraft on the last Friday. arrived at the gate for the 13:00 service to Portobello. Queue was short enough but been advised that cannot board until 14:00 service. I agreed to stay in line just to my horror that been advised by passengers coming off the 14:00 that hovercraft staff were not filling all seats on all journeys. For customer satisfaction`s point of view that is well out of order even for stagecoaches standards who i have heard have a brilliant track record of thinking of taking the money and who cares about that service approach. arrived back in Portobello for the 16:30 service back to Kirkcaldy, Words to describe this “I rather be 6 foot under”. The service that i have been told that i could get on by Stagecoach in Kirkcaldy was wrong. Annoyed that office jockeys got priority. My partner and i had to go all the way back to St Andrews Square bus station to catch a bus to arrive home. Problems with this was we had to wait in a long queue for 40 Min’s due to Stagecoach`s lack of buses which cannot cope with amount of passengers, When we did get on the bus it was an old banger could not do 50mph on the motorway if i tried, staff were very rude in telling me that i could not use the “special return” that was issued. Cannot stress anymore how dissatisfied i was. Hovercraft no more, waste of taxpayers money and Brian Souter has enough money without taking money from the taxpayer to do this trail. To end all this off ride was dull, boring, time consuming, lack of effort for team and just one hell of a rough noise while being chucked about in a tin can with a skirt
WOW, I think the hovercraft is the big waste of the tax paying person money! What a f’ing great service, not! I tried going to the boat yesterday (15 Feb 2008) but couldn’t find bus from waverley, had to get lothian 26 then walk to porto beach to find no hovercraft or staff?! What is going on?? Will try again Monday (18 Feb) and hope can get a good cross there!
July 17th, 2007 at 11:10 am
I took the 8am services from Kirkcaldy to Edinburgh on the 16th of July and returned in the evening. Stagecoach and Lothian buses have clearly taken a lot of trouble in organising something as logistically complex as this and are to be commended for it.
As somebody who would be very keen to be a commuter on a service like this I think they need to do some work on ticketing however. At £9.50 return peak time ticket holders are paying a premium of 58% over those who travel after 9am. So I felt particularly bad at having to wait an hour at Portobello because what had been scheduled to be the last service of the day was full to capacity (in the end an extra service was added for the 40 or so people in the same situation). If you are going to have peak time periods it might be best to enforce them for travel at both morning and evening rush hours.
Again as a commuter I would appreciate the ability to buy a weekly or season ticket and hence obtain a discount.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
I was on the first commuter crossing, at 07:10 on the Monday 16/7. Everything went really well, didnt think the ride was too rough & was in work by 07:55, so very pleased.
Return journey was something else. Tried catching the X90 bus on Princes St & was ignored by the driver. Caught next bus at 17:00 & was told the 17:30 hovercraft was full. So an hour wait until the 18:30 hovercraft. Home two hours late.
Wouldnt have minded so much, but I had paid the full fare £9.50 & the 17:30 was full with people paying the concessionary fare.
If you want commuters to use this, then they need to know they can get back at the regular commuting times & pay a fair price.
Stagecoach will say the hovercraft was a victim of it’s own success, but being in the business they are in, they should have known this & made allowances. Poor planning & some greed on their part.
That aside, I really hope this works for then, as it can only help Kirkcaldy.
Would be better to go in to Leith (Ocean Terminal) & needs to be significantly cheaper than train.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Phil - comment 1. The ticket prices are the same as if you were using the Stagecoach bus service to Edinburgh - hence the peak time charge. You can buy a weekly “Edinburgh Megarider” from Stagecoach for £18, which can be used on the service.
I went for the 11.00 service at Kirkcaldy, to be told that it had been filled by 10.10. Rather than wait until the next service at 1pm, we decided to board the next direct bus and use the hovercraft for our return journey.
We tried to board the shuttle bus at Ocean Terminal at 2pm, but there was already a large queue building up. The Lothian Buses officer who was managing the queue advised us that ticket holders would be given priority over those who hadn’t already bought tickets, and that there was only room for 40 passengers on the bus. We eventually were able to board the 3pm shuttle bus, but had to leave behind some passengers who had tickets, due to the bus being full.
I agree with comment 2 Martin Prince, commuters need to know that they’ll be able to get home at peak times. However, I think starting the trial on a local public holiday was a bit misjudged.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Agree with all the above comments. I wanted to post to this blog to offer my wholehearted support to this venture. The hovercraft is an excellent idea and I’ve always felt it sad we make so little of the water to help reduce pressure on bottlenecks such as the forth crossing. I travel into Edinburgh from further into Fife but am happy making the trip into Kirkcaldy if I can be confident the connections and return crossing can be made comfortably and efficiently. Overall journey time isn’t much improved, but at the right price and once the teething problems are resolved I would be an immediate convert. I am however concerned the whole trial is decending into a farce with commuters lost amidst the masses on family outings. I hope tomorrow’s return arrangements for those such as myself who catch the 7.10am sailing are smoother than they were today. For other wavering commuters out there, I was assured if we’re on the early sailings we can effectively ‘reserve’ a place on a particular crossing back in the evening - let’s hope this works! I want to play my part in helping to make this a success. I hope a permanent hovercraft crossing is a matter of months rather than years away.
July 17th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
I agree with much of the above. The hovercraft is a great idea that should be made to work. There is obviously some fine tuning necessary to target commuters and tourists and to take into account the problems encountered on the return journey.
I took the 8.00am service to Edinburgh, which was great, but then had a good 1.5 hour wait on the return journey at ~6pm. I don’t agree that the service needs to be cheaper than the train - a comparable cost and a better travelling experience would be enough. The route also suits me fairly well - access to East Edinburgh is needed and it’s pretty convenient for the New Royal Infirmary. I find it difficult to believe that there isn’t the demand for more than one route. Why not three services; Kirkcaldy to Portobello, Burntisland to Leith and Rosyth to Granton. The forth has been an under used resource for too long.
In the long run beter facilities at either end are essential and it would be nice to see the Kirkcaldy end revamped imaginatively to form a welcoming gateway to Fife for tourists who use the service.
July 18th, 2007 at 8:56 am
OK - Wednesday 07:10 from Kirkcaldy. The crowd looks quite different from Monday morning - no media people, overt hovercraft nerds or MSPs in sight today. Fellow passengers are dressed for work and there are more of us - about 3/4 capacity. I think I saw a dog to. Does the service take dogs?
Thanks to advice from Susy I have my megarider ticket. I now see that this is mentioned on the main brochure but there was not really a mention of what it was or how it could save me a bunch of money as a commuter. My normal route is from Kinghorn to South Gyle and the train will probably always be the easiest way - however with a megarider fare the hovercraft route could save me about £3 per day over my monthly pass on the train. I did not expect that and this would make the service a lot more attractive to me.
Another great innovation which I see today for the first time is a “priority booking number” - a card with a couple of phone numbers on it - one for Portobello departures and one for Kirkcaldy. This is a very commendable attempt to get round my problem of commuters getting stranded or delayed at the end of the day. The numbers appear to be people’s mobiles so I have a few problems getting through and the process seems to involve them noting down that somebody is interested in booking a place on the 1830 return journey - no mention of who. We will have to see how this pans out.
I think that a full service would greatly benefit from a website that allows priority booking to be sorted that way. This could also be a good way of letting people know in advance if services are not running for any reason.
July 19th, 2007 at 8:45 am
Returning to Kirkcaldy Wednesday evening for 6:30 sailing: The bus leaves Waverley bang on time and arrives at Portobello on schedule too. The handful of us who have priority boarding cards are singled out and led to the front of the queue for people waiting to get aboard. We look a bit smug - and a bit guilty too. In our excitement it takes us a few minutes to notice the problem: no hovercraft. It arrives about 20 minutes behind schedule and starts to discourage passengers. These passengers look like they have just come off “”Pirates of the Carribean” - many children (including what looks like a newborn baby), some elderly people. Getting everybody down the single set of rather steep stairs and re-united with their pushchairs and bikes takes several minutes and I am guessing this is what is contributing to a cumulative delay. Those of us in the priority queue would like to view the service as something like a commuter jet while the bulk of those behind us would rather look at is as a charabanc. To maximise the success of a permanent service Stagecoach would need to please both groups.
July 19th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
I have been using the hovercraft since Tuesday and think it is a great way to travel. At this point timings are obviously slighlty out but I am impressed with the staff who keep you informed and the fact they are clearly working to improve the system for commuters all the time (priority tickets for regular users) I hope people continue to support it and bear with teething problems as this is the only way this will be considered as a viable option. It seems we are quick to critise what is after all a trial and it is my opinion we should persevere and conitnue to add suggestions and not quit the first time things dont run to plan. This will be the only way us Fifers may get a decent commutable service to Edinburgh.
July 19th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Trip was great, staff were helpful; obviously some initial confusion. However if people are to use this as as a transport service rather than a donkey ride they need to be able to book seats, or at least be sure of getting on board if they arrive on time. Twice travelled to Fife with kids; twice had to get other transport back. Hope it works out.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Fully agree with most of the comments added so far. I travelled from Milnathort to Kirkady to get the hovercraft on Tuesday at 9.00am. I would have gone for the 8.00 am one but once I added in the cost of petrol the cost was a bit too high. I may try the megarider ticket if I can find out whre to buy one - Kirkaldy bus station perhaps ?
I just managed to get on the last sailing on Wednesday night and was told about the priority booking system by a Stagecoach representative in Edinburgh. Hovever when I got to Kirkcaldy I couldn’t find any one who could tell me anything about it, As a result I reverted back to the train fo the next two days.
To me frequency of sailings is of paramount importance. I belive that there is scope to serve both tourists and commuters if things are handled properly.
I am a regular commuter ro Edinburgh - usually travelling from Inverkeithing by train . I think Paddy’s idea of having 3 sperate services is fantastic !
A launch point from within easy reach of the motorway eg: Rosyth or Inverkeithing would draw a lot of people in.
I know that there are many more people out there who would use the service if it sailed from places other than just Kirkcaldy.
I thought that the Hovercraft was fsr more comfortable than the bus or train - I Think I’ll give it a few more goes !
July 19th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
On Thursday, three of us travelled down from Aberdeen to use the Hovercraft crossing. We arrived at 0940 and thought that we would get on the 1000 departure. Unfortunately, the queue was such that if we had joined it we would have got onto the 1200 departure.
As the queue was outside in the rain we decided not to stand for two hours and decided to return home. We were not alone, we spoke to a couple, who had travelled from Dunfermline, and also had abandoned the trip. They tried earlier in the week and had not managed to get on.
The ticketing policy of first come first served is not satifactory when people are travelling a distance to get there. I would not attempt it again unless I knew I was getting on a specific trip. An advanced booking option for all trips is essential. As it is, we had a futile 195 mile round trip.
I do wish the trial well though and accept that there will be teething problems.
I hope that I can use a permanent service in the future, with tickets bought in advance!!!
July 20th, 2007 at 1:31 am
Thursday: Service is agreat idea, and the trains could use some competition. As a potential regular commuter, the reliability (or frequency) is paramount. So 15 or 20 minute spacings are essential at peak times if this is more than a joy-ride. Outside of peak, you can revert to 60min frequency, and either service the kit, or do diagonal services to other towns. In Scandanavia, this would be normal.
Some suggestions:
* How about speeding (dis)embarkation by using both sets of doors, one for in, whilst the other side for out?
* Do tell us about the Megarider £18 all-week deal BEFORE we buy a day return for £9.50. This service either has to be more reliable than the train or much cheaper.
* Priority boarding is essential if I am to feel secure using this each day.
* If your trial works, then get on with a service, rather than waiting for new permanent buildings and slipways, they can come along later.
* help me to book and print tickets and reserve or print my priority pass on-line, as well as live updates on delays or cancellations. I dont want to queue (ever?). Think ‘plane, not bus.
July 20th, 2007 at 10:31 am
I agree with most of the comments above, I would just like to point out the obvious to everyone, this is a trial, and as such it is a learning process for everyone involved, having been involved in starting up some business concepts myself I understand and appreciate some of the issues that have occurred. Stagecoach have responded both quickly and professionally to some of the initial comments and observation and are from what I can see continually developing and improving the service, not bad for a 2 week trial I think! I have yet to travel on the service, however some family members have done so and found it to be very exciting and useful, they however are pensioners and get the service for free, which highlight one on the reasons why the queues are so long now! On their trip on Wednesday they observed large queues, mainly caused by non-commuters like themselves, mostly pensioners and families on the school holidays, perhaps it was an unfortunate time to trial the service at the start of the school holidays.
I think that this trial has already proved that this service has a market and should be rolled out ASAP. I agree totally with Stuart in that despite the issues we should all be thankful that someone is making and effort to improve our lives and help Stagecoach develop this service while it is operational, instead of waiting for years for the infrastructure to be finished.
July 21st, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Used the hovercraft on friday for a day trip to edinburgh was somewhat surprised to arrive at 9.10 am and see no queue we got on the 10 o clock no problem.The crossing was quick and very comfortable not at all like being on a boat even though the water was quite rough. Given the publicity about problems getting back we decided on the train. Hope this venture is a success as its a great idea
July 21st, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Was on the 7.10 service on Friday and very impressed.
The convenience of departing from Kirkcaldy was a major factor in choosing to try this service as was the fact there was some free parking for the trial. The staff were helpful and efficient. Rapid and smooth run over to Edinburgh taking just over 15 mins with the buses ready to pick people up to take them to Leith or Princes Street. Boarding the hovercraft was problem free.
Surprising amount of space onboard the hovercraft cabin with decent legroom and noise levels much lower than I had thought they’d be. The ride was surprisingly smooth with the minimum of rolling and pitching (most unlike similar sized boats I’ve been on…).
I agree with the above comments about publicity of the Megarider ticket being poor - although I admit its on some literature now I look closely. It hasn’t been given the publicity needed to attract commuters, many of whom see the headline £9.80 a day return and puts them off (a number of people I’ve spoken to have commented they thought the hovercraft was more expensive than the train, due to comparing the headline daily return price of the hovercraft against the cost of a weekly or monthly train pass). It took me a couple of days to find out about it.
For commuters Stagecoach are now providing a priority number to call to book yourself on a return journey - a great idea given the number of commuters experiencing probs getting home earlier in the week - unfortunately its only a single mobile phone and people have been experiencing probs getting through / leaving vocemail messages, including asking for confirmation and not getting a reply.
I realise its a trial, but perhaps Stagecoach could adapt its online booking system used for Megabus and Megatrain to let regular travellers book on the hovercraft as the phone line is under strain? (Particularly as we are paying a premium over some of the other travellers! We need to know we’ll get home at a reasonable time). Perhaps also having two distinct boarding queues at peak times - priority ticket holders (with different coloured boarding cards) and another for people who did not prebook may also speed along matters.
Another suggestion, given the Rail Bridge is going to have problems next week with the work at Inverkeithing station, would be to have better integration with existing LRT services at Portobello - currently there are no ‘forth fast’ buses going from the hover terminal to Drumbrae, Gyle or RBS at Gogarburn. As LRT already has an express service that travels from elsewhere in Porto to these destinations, could it not collect people at the hovercraft terminal to further extend the reach of the service? I realise it may be too late to arrange / publicise this for the trial, but may be a consideration for the future.
Happy to see that by Friday the hovercraft was carrying a number of pedal bikes in the side lockers, though it did appear getting them in and out was a bit of a time consuming task on the temporary landing sites. As the trains are very limited in bike carrying capacity (especially at peak times) from Fife, its a positive step, and one I didn’t see publicised.
Overall a very positive experience and look forward to week two of the trial. Hope the venture is a success.
July 21st, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Just a comment - although survey forms are on board the hovercraft in a cardboard box with a note scribbled in biro, they aren’t being publicised or handed out, so those running the survey are not getting representative feedback from travellers. In addition this feedback site could do with a lot better publicity.
July 21st, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Havent been on the hovercraft yet but have seen it arriving in Portobello as I live on the seafront, and it is very dramatic to watch it coming in. I plan to use it and would love to have the norh shore more easily accessible to here. Re Stuart’s comment - ‘think plane not bus’- what kind of airports do you go to! The endless queing in airports, carrying luggage, has been one of the things that makes me opt for the train if it at all possible as a viable option. But queing would definitely put me off the hovercraft.
bikes on the hovercraft would also be an important factor for me, (for leisure cycling in Fife) but i would defintitely want to be able to buy tickets at the point of departure rather than on a bus as I am a cyclist and dont really use the bus much. Hope this trial works out and it becomes a permanent feature. it will add a lot to living in portobello.
July 22nd, 2007 at 12:38 am
First tried the hovercraft on the 7 am crossing Wednesday 18th, was really impressed with the organisation and friendliness of the staff. I was lucky the priority boarding passess had been introduced, and the bus stopped on my request right outside my office - what a bonus! Different story coming back for the 5.30 crossing, had to first attract the attention of the bus driver to stop and pick me up (no mean feat). with no hovercraft at Portobello, and a 35 minute wait on the sea shore! Didn’t try it on Thursday but decided to give it another a go on Friday 20th - what a joy! 8am crossing was touble free and the 4.30 return was a dream, apart from having to waive like a maniac at the bus driver to stop and pick me up!
I have been really impressed by the speed at which teething troubles have been addressed. I am a regular commuter to Edinburgh and would choose the hovercraft as my preferred method of travel especially now I have discovered the megarider ticket and the pre-booking system.
Well done to all involved.
July 22nd, 2007 at 11:10 am
If a service is to be introduced that suits all commuters it must consider the many shift workers that cannot use public transport because of shift patterns. I work 12.5hr shifts and there is no way at the end of the day I want to be held up in anyway going home.
I would love to have tried the hovercraft, but the present trial would not allow me to get to work for a 7:30 start at the WGH, so was unable.
An integrated bus service is a must for this to work and not just for the city centre, or Ocean Terminal, Stagecoach should consider the many NHS workers who travel to the NRIE, or WGH from Fife at pretty unsociable hrs.
July 22nd, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I travelled over Thursday 19 July by 1030 from Portobello. Full trip, quite windy. Wasn’t too impressed with being herded a la Ryanair into a fenced enclosure on the blowy prom; the journey over was surprisingly rough, especially midway. It made me wonder how much rougher it would need to be before it was cancelled. Craft was dropping into the troughs quite a lot, felt like a rough boat trip. I swithered about going back by hovercraft, but the queuing crowds at Kirkcaldy put me off, combined with the thought of another gut-wrenching, so I chickened out and got the train back over. I think I would use it as a commuter if the facilities were a bit better, and would just weather the rougher days. I see most commentators had a better trip than me.
July 23rd, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Passenger must be sure that they have a seat before they commit themselves to the journey, e.g. leave Waverley station. Finding out in Portobello that you havn’t got a seat does not give you the option to change travel plans (e.g. take the train). It is important that passengers can be certain that they arrive at their destination within a certain time frame. Leisure journeys are not too bad, but people commuting to work, just have to arrive in time.
And what what would I do if I wanted to come back on the last crossing and it was full? No such worries with the train or bus.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:28 am
I was also on the first 7.10am crossing on Monday the 16th from Kircaldy. My experience was the same as Martin Price who was also on the same crossing. Very exciting and enjoyable crossing, despite the rain and wind. I got to work only half an hour later than usual.
Again I returned on the same 17.00 bus as Martin, and had to wait in a long queue for over an hour to get back as the 17.30 crossing was full. Thankfully it was warm and sunny and the day-trippers were in a good mood, so the wait was not too painful. If us genuine commuters could be guaranteed a seat on the return trips that would be great. I assume with two craft on the route a lot of the delays would be solved?
Introducing an earlier crossing of 6.10 would also be helpful as I could really get to work on time.
I wish the venture all success and I hope to see a regular service implemented.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:10 am
I used this service for the first time on Friday 20th July. I arrived at 7.45am for the 8.00am crossing. There were no q’s for buying tickets. I found it odd though that only about a qtr of people on the service were business people and the rest were day tripers. The service was less than half full.
I want to commend stagecoach on the whole organisation of this trial and the way it is managed on site as I have, so far found it seemless.
When I arrived at Kirkcaldy i was asked if I were a regular traveller and when I said I was they gentleman advised me to book my seats for the following week. If I have one critism of this service the booking service would be it. I tried constantly for an hour and a half to get through but when I did the lady who dealth with me was very helpful and so far I’ve had now problems with my bookings.
I do feel a six o’clock service is also needed for the return journey as I finish work at 5.30 but am hanging around for the bus and then the last hovercraft, meaning that I am home later than I’d be if traveling by car.
I travel in by car and although I do experience the odd headache or two i am used to commuting in the car and don’t find it too bad so careful consideration needs to be given to the final costings of this service when, hopefully, it’s fully operational if it is to tempt people away from the versatility of their cars or using the train.
I think an on-line booking service and a frequent traveler charge (£18) are the keys to keeping this service popular.
Keep up the good work though as this is a service for the future.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Normally a rail traveller to Haymarket but well stuffed by Scotrail this week.
Using public transport all the way in the morning my connections are great and altho taking 45mins longer than train ,I’m happy but coming home it’s suicidal even tho I’ve booked for the 5.30. It takes 55mins by bus from Haymarket to Portobello (have they stacked all the buses in Ed’bro along Princes Street?)last night it took the special bus longer to get from Waverley Bridge to Regents Road longer than it took the Hovercraft to cross the Forth! At Kirkcaldy connections to catch the X1 to Glenrothes or X59 to Cupar were pathetic.Spent 40 mins in Wetherspoons drowning my sorrows/waiting for the bus.Suddenly Scotrail have only half stuffed me!
This morning got off X59 to be told unlikely to get on 8am ferry,turned round and Ed’bro bus had gone - come on Stagecoach get co-ordinated, I could have stayed on the bus if I’d been told before I got off.
The blog is full of good sensible stuff , I guess Stagecoach are reading it - their constant improvements show theyare learning all the time. I agree, this was never going to be a representative trial for many reasons except if it was not going to be busy over these two weeks it never would. Re Suffering Local Resident, now you know what it feels like when a government sponsored entrepreneur sticks up a wind turbine or open cast mine or a neighbour/developer sticks up a house/extension and spoils your view - nothing’s sacred!
All in all, the trial’s got a lot of plusses.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:37 am
…I agree with most comments…having travelled to edinburgh for years it is paramount that when you are working, you are able to get on the hovercraft at the specified time and have the connections available..as not everyone works on ‘flex-time’…..however having been given the dedicated mobile number to book the service, I tried continually on the friday the 20th…still to no avail… went down to try the 10am service on the 21st, the queue being massive..and was informed that I would be lucky to get on the 2pm service….having a toddler with me..its just not practicle to wait for hours…went home by bus…and on the monday tried to contact the number again, to book for this friday…being informed by the line provider that the phone is switched off!! Called stagecoach to be told that you can only contact the mobile number to book service…told them that the number not contactable!!!….sorry …but lost the will to live…I am sure that if the trial goes ahead that the above problems would be rectified…however it will probably be a good few years/months if introduced…..
July 27th, 2007 at 11:11 am
I am travelling on the last day of sailing tomorrow. [Sat 28th July]. I am purely doing this for nostalgia. I hope that a permanent crossing is implemented soon. If this was the case then I really think that two hovercraft would be needed to accomodate both commuters and day trippers/tourists. I have talked to many people who have managed to get a ticket on the outward journey from Kirkcaldy, but have had to bus it back from Edinburgh. I have reserved places tomorrow but still worry about my return journey with my family which includes two small children. Lets hope the weather is good!
I think that the hovercraft is a genius idea and once the wee niggles are sorted out is a great alternative to all other forms of travel. I wish all involved the very best.
July 28th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
four friends and myself planned a day out in kirkcaldy on sat 21st july..we turned up at ten in the morning hoping to catch the 1030 crossing.however on our arrival we were informed that the earliest crossing we would get would be the 130..that meant we would have to wait for three hours …which we were prepared to do …lots of young familys with kids were faced with the same situation.. kids were in tears as parents understandly didnt fancy a three hour wait….this could have all been easily resolved if a pre paid bookinsystem had been in place..we were given a mobile no to phone which is a total waste of time as the phone is permentley switched off!!! until things improve we wont be back …..
July 29th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I took the hovercraft on the last Friday. arrived at the gate for the 13:00 service to Portobello. Queue was short enough but been advised that cannot board until 14:00 service. I agreed to stay in line just to my horror that been advised by passengers coming off the 14:00 that hovercraft staff were not filling all seats on all journeys. For customer satisfaction`s point of view that is well out of order even for stagecoaches standards who i have heard have a brilliant track record of thinking of taking the money and who cares about that service approach. arrived back in Portobello for the 16:30 service back to Kirkcaldy, Words to describe this “I rather be 6 foot under”. The service that i have been told that i could get on by Stagecoach in Kirkcaldy was wrong. Annoyed that office jockeys got priority. My partner and i had to go all the way back to St Andrews Square bus station to catch a bus to arrive home. Problems with this was we had to wait in a long queue for 40 Min’s due to Stagecoach`s lack of buses which cannot cope with amount of passengers, When we did get on the bus it was an old banger could not do 50mph on the motorway if i tried, staff were very rude in telling me that i could not use the “special return” that was issued. Cannot stress anymore how dissatisfied i was. Hovercraft no more, waste of taxpayers money and Brian Souter has enough money without taking money from the taxpayer to do this trail. To end all this off ride was dull, boring, time consuming, lack of effort for team and just one hell of a rough noise while being chucked about in a tin can with a skirt
February 16th, 2008 at 3:47 am
WOW, I think the hovercraft is the big waste of the tax paying person money! What a f’ing great service, not! I tried going to the boat yesterday (15 Feb 2008) but couldn’t find bus from waverley, had to get lothian 26 then walk to porto beach to find no hovercraft or staff?! What is going on?? Will try again Monday (18 Feb) and hope can get a good cross there!
February 16th, 2008 at 3:48 am
What a sh it service, no surprises from stagecoach!
July 14th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Im still waiting on the thing……whaur is it??
January 15th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
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March 5th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
All that ends well is well
July 23rd, 2010 at 1:49 am
Nice post, keep up the excellent work