CalMac has announced changes to its controversial decision-
The shipping firm’s present method is skewed against islands such as South Uist it is claimed.
Uist and Benbecula businesses lost £3 million worth of trade when Caledonian MacBrayne withdrew the Lochboisdale to Mallaig lifeline ferry service according to a recent survey.
Protests from the South Uist community led to the Scottish Government instructing CalMac to review its process.
CalMac is now introducing changes to its present scoring system which has been criticised for favouring busy tourism routes rather than lifeline links for islanders.
Proposed amendments to the framework were developed in close collaboration with Transport Scotland and the Ferries Community Board, influenced by community and stakeholder feedback advocating for a 'fairer' and 'more transparent' system. A consultation received 200 responses.
After a “comprehensive” review of the feedback, CalMac says it has refined its proposals to “better align” with the needs and expectations of island communities.
The key decisions include:
• When calculating the priority of each route, more emphasis will be placed on the level of use by both island residents and commercial vehicles.
• Routes with limited capacity on alternative services will be prioritised higher.
• Given available road links, the Campbeltown and Armadale routes will be the first to experience disruption if a vessel is available and a cascade involving those routes can help.
• The aim is to ensure that no route is without service for more than one week, where possible – this excludes Ardrossan-
• The rationale behind vessel deployment decisions will be clearly communicated said CalMac.
Two proposals have been rejected:
• Routes will not be prioritised based on higher levels of historical disruption. Instead, recent disruptions will continue to be captured and considered within the existing prioritisation framework.
• Spreading vessels across multiple routes will not be a standard practice, especially if it results in less optimal vessel deployment; this will be considered on a case-
Pauline Blackshaw, Director of Strategy and Change at CalMac, said the public’s contributions have been “instrumental in shaping a more effective framework for our ferry services.
“While we will continue to face challenges in distributing services during major vessel outages, these refined changes are a significant step towards a more equitable and transparent system.”
She added: “In the meantime, these revisions demonstrate our commitment to the continuous improvement of our services for the benefits of our customers.”
The changes will be implemented starting on 23 October, coinciding with the start of CalMac's winter timetable.
CalMac will monitor the new system over the coming winter season to ensure it is operating as expected. A full analysis of the consultation can be found on CalMac's official website.
CalMac ‘refines’ contentious approach to ferry disruption arrangements
13 October 2023