Following mass protests CalMac is launching a public consultation on the proposed changes to its habit of withdrawing the Lochboisdale ferry to fill breakdowns elsewhere.
CalMac’s present methods are heavily weighted against the option of reshuffling ships to provide a service to more 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 new survey.
The majority of losses were incurred earlier this summer when the shipping operator abandoned the South Uist link over what is traditionally a very busy period.
For weeks beforehand the island -
Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac, previously defended its route prioritisation matrix, hailing it as “robust” earlier this summer.
Following pressure and outcries that a ‘fairer’ and ‘more transparent’ approach is needed, CalMac has carried out a review of the framework.
Proposed changes, developed in conjunction with representatives from Transport Scotland and the Ferries Community Board, would see several changes, including:
• More importance being placed on islands residents and commercial vehicles
• More priority given to routes with higher levels of disruption
• An aim to limit disruption to any one route for a period of approximately one week at a time
• Spread available vessels across one-
Pauline Blackshaw, Director of Strategy & Change at CalMac, said: "As part of our ongoing commitment to continuously improving our services, I’m pleased to be able to present the proposed changes to the Route Prioritisation Framework.
“Whilst we will still have to make difficult decisions about how best to distribute services during major vessel outages, these proposed changes to the Route Prioritisation Framework are designed to reflect the feedback we received from communities.”
Customers and stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback on the proposed changes by visiting https://sway.office.com. The consultation will remain open until midnight on 24 September 2023.
Public protests force CalMac to share the pain under aim to limit ferry disruption to one week at a time
28 August 2023
Anger at CalMac’s South Uist supporters march though Glasgow in opposition to CalMac while hundreds attended a ferry demonstration in Lochboisdale
Photo: Hebrides News