Are Stena and Irish Ferries the same company ?

I know they are almost definitely completely separate companies,
but their prices are always the same, like for example Holyhead Dublin, everytime I check, their prices are identical

Its been that way for as long as I have been using the ferry (1 year)

They dont seem to try to undercut each other like the airlines do.

Could it be because the fares are set by a regulator ?

Or could it be for some other reason !

Or maybe they are the same company after all !

No, they are not the same company.

It would be illegal for them to arrange not to compete. I imagine that one company makes its price, and the other matches it in order to get a share of the business.

So effectively it is a monopoly, 2 companies always charging the exact same price (there are only 2 companies ferrying from Holyhead-Dublin)

Don't forget the alternative of Norfolk Line to Liverpool.

Its not a monopoly anyway. Price fixing could come into it if anything but I check both companies now and again and there are always difference in prices, tiny amounts but still differences.

I have no knowledge about how the ferry operators manage their affairs or what steps they take to compete against one another. I do know that they are precluded by law from operating as a cartel and fixing prices.

It is imaginable that the operating cost for both companies are about the same, and they are both pricing to cover their costs and yield some level of profit.

breakdabank said:

Don't forget the alternative of Norfolk Line to Liverpool.

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Yes if you don't mind spending 8 hours on a ferry. Great ferry company though; have travelled with them on Belfast - Liverpool route a few times; dinner & lunch/breakfast(depending on whether a night/day sailing) is included in price; nice bar/seating area; pretty good cinema. Just a pity it takes so long to get there.