BW has announced that the price of self-drive hire boat licences will increase by inflation. 3.3% inflationary increase from April 2008.
but Sally Ash continued... "The agreed inflationary price increase will only apply to full priced licences for hire boats. Businesses such as low turnover freight carriers and floating shops who already receive discounted licences which bring their cost in line with pleasure craft rates are likely to see the same increases as private boat licences. This will be established as part of a 12-week written consultation period which will formally begin towards the end of the summer." Is the consultation with freight carriers and floating shops, or with private boaters? Both I hope. But Ms Ash also said, "Hiring a boat is one of the major influences on people's longer term decisions to become a boat owner. We are seeing a long term decline in the number of weekly hire boats on our network and we want to ensure that our policies do not deter investment in the sector." >From my reading of forums and newsgroups, I would say that because of the rate of increase in licence fees, there is a long term decline in the number of long term enthusiastic boaters. I hope (dare I?) that BW will adopt the same policy for them. One solution would be a reduced licence fee for pensioners who have owned a boat for at least 12 months (say). The condition is to prevent pensioners jumping on the "band-boat".
