CalMac announces launch date for long delayed new booking system

CalMac has announced that its new booking and ticketing platform will go live on Tuesday 25th April.

The £18 million ticketing digital solution planned ten years ago replaces the existing slow, ‘unfit for purpose’ system.

The state-of-the-art system, which is replacing the company’s existing 25-year-old ticketing process, will give customers greater choice on the purchase, management, and use of tickets.

The new system, “eBooking”, has been selected following consultation and engagement with more than 4,500 CalMac customers.

Customers who have made a booking prior to 25th April will have their booking transferred across to the new solution. They will then receive a new e-ticket, issued to their email inbox.

The eBooking software is supplied by leading ferry industry ticketing system provider E-Dea, which has over 19 years' experience delivering similar projects to the ferry, cruise and port sectors.

The system is currently being used by several operators and is in use in 94 ports across the world, currently managing 48 million passengers and 18 million vehicles each year.

Customers and CalMac staff will be supported through the launch and the hyper care period immediately following go-live by CalMac support teams working around the clock to triage and resolve any potential issues.

Robbie Drummond, CalMac chief executive, said: “This exciting project will revolutionise the way in which we interact with customers by offering more choice and flexibility for everyone using the 29 CalMac routes to more than 50 destinations.

“We have actively engaged with thousands of existing customers and their feedback has been vital to the design and implementation of the new system. The next step is to hold community events so that we can show even more people how it works and how it will improve their booking experience; the dates for these events will be announced soon.

“In-depth staff training on the new system is continuing, so that we can provide a smooth transition for our passengers. We are confident that this new system will deliver a simpler and faster process for our business users, island visitors and commuters using our lifeline services.”

The current booking project started as far back as August 2016. Five years later the government said it would up running by February 2022, later postponed to October, supposedly to avoid the introduction of a completely new system during the summer period. That date changed again to spring this year.

CalMac said the benefits include pre-purchasing tickets online for travel on turn up and go routes.

Tickets booked online will no longer have to be printed off at home or collected from a port office.

Blue Badge discounts will be available to purchase online for the first time.

Pet bookings can be added to online reservations - removing the previous manual process and giving more certainty on pet space availability

More than one vehicle can be added to a reservation instead of having to make multiple bookings.

Improved data and capacity management via the new system will also help better manage the use of deck space on CalMac’s major vessels.

CalMac announces launch date for long delayed new booking system

1 March 2023