Cal Mac new era

Cal Mac has revealed its plans to "transform" west coast ferry services in a new eight year contract.

Managing director, Martin Dorchester, said that Cal Mac’s winning bid against Serco was "rooted in ambitious plans to drive improvements which will transform the experience of ferry travellers, exemplify customer focus, and show the company’s determination to make a positive difference to the communities."

The planned innovations, most of which will be put in place in the first two years of the contract, include:

Maximise opportunities for local companies, supported businesses (where 30% of staff are disabled or disadvantaged) and social enterprises, to tender for supply contracts. CalMac has set a target of sourcing 80% of fresh produce from within its network area.

Appoint a director of community and stakeholder engagement and create a communities board to involve communities in strategic matters that affect them.
An innovative approach to the introduction of smart and integrated ticketing offering multi-modal ticketing to provide improved choice and convenience for passengers
Continued investment in officer cadets and rating apprenticeships and partnering with local maritime training organisations such as UHI and City of Glasgow College to further to develop its qualified and skilled workforce, and develop a strong maritime training economy
Work in partnership with shipyards to plan and schedule long-term maintenance activities to minimise reactive maintenance, improving vessel reliability for customers
Investing £6 million in on-board and port and passenger area improvements including consistent signage, a standard look and feel to customer sitting and waiting areas, upgraded restaurant counters and retail outlets, piloting an ‘at seat’ drinks trolley service, and digital information screens, all aimed at improving customer accessibility and experience.
Daily demand forecasting combined with the introduction of variable terms and conditions to discourage late cancellations and no shows. This will lead to improved accessibility for customers, better capacity utilisation and greater certainty of travel.
Appoint a transport integration manager to work with other providers on timetable planning, disruption management, and the displaying of digital travel information at ports and vessels to improve public transport connections and quality of customer information.
Maintaining membership of Marine Scotland, along with support for the ‘blue economy.’ This includes helping to monitor marine animals and working with marine conservation bodies.

Cal Mac pledges "new era" in ferry services, £6 million to improve passenger experience

31 August 2016