MEMBER discounts, packages for students moving into university and frequent passenger schemes could be among the pricing options offered by DFDS following criticism of their dynamic pricing model.
Route director Chris Parker and Filip Hermann, vice-president of the Channel & Baltics regions, spoke to a record 250 attendees at a Chamber of Commerce lunch event yesterday at the Radisson Blu and shared plans about the ships they are planning to build for Jersey routes.
DFDS is due to offer three passenger ferries and one dedicated freight vessel with back-up, and is planning to replace three ships with more eco-friendly electrified vessels: a high-speed vessel in 2028, a pure freight roll-on roll-off vessel in 2030 and a new passenger vessel in 2031.
“Because of the short distances, and because the technology is there, there is an opportunity to electrify the transportation between Jersey and France,” Mr Hermann said.
The design for the high-speed craft was made during the tender phase, Mr Hermann said, adding that it was a “beautiful” ship.
Asked about complaints about the dynamic pricing model for passengers, Mr Parker said the company was “looking at the way that it calculates these prices”.
“We are looking at various options for frequent travel schemes to see what works best in the Jersey market, so there will be some changes,” he said. “We are listening and we are learning.”
But, he said, DFDS “need to make sure that [it] has a resilient, sustainable business”.
“We want to reinvest in our fleet. These things don’t come for free,” he pointed out.
Speaking to the JEP after the event, Mr Parker added: “We’re aware that we provide that essential service to get on and off the Island.
“We want to reward Islanders for their frequent travel. And we want to do that in a way which is straightforward enough
that you don’t have to go through 17 hoops to be able to claim a discount, or whatever it is. There are various things that we could do.
“There are other things that we’re looking at which I mentioned a while ago.
You need to think about how we can make a difference. What are the important things?”
He suggested, as an example, that the company could provide discounts for students going to university.
“There are a few things that we’re kicking about, but we’ll get that turned around fairly quickly,” he added.
