The cost of hiring

BOAT hiring companies, are feeling the pinch of ever increasing prices, with Linda Andrews pointing out it is all very well suggesting that hire companies reduce their prices, but didn't all the boat builders go bust because they were all trying to compete for a dwindling market with ever-cheaper prices?

Linda, of Cheshire Cat Narrowboat Holidays writes that every year the licence fees go up, now we have to pay for the trading licence (with no prompt payment discount, and above inflation price rises each year), and the cost of diesel goes ever upwards.

Swallowing increases

We have not increased our peak season prices for two years, swallowing the VAT increase and the hike in diesel prices. This week, between our four boats, one has virtually had to do the Cheshire Ring twice, because CaRT appears not to have put any notices anywhere to tell boaters that the Rochdale Nine is closed, one has been rammed by a private boat and broken a window, another has managed to lose a mooring pin, a windlass,and drop the stern rope through the propeller.

Hire boats a licence to print money? I think not.

If CART would be kind enough to reduce the licence fees and the government reduced the taxes on diesel, perhaps we could think about dropping our prices. Was that a flying pig I just saw?