There is a consultation on a new ferry contract. Details can be found here:
https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/ferries/clyde-and-hebrides-ferry-service-3/#overview
Transport Scotland is coming to Tiree to talk about this on 14 February. Individuals can make their own submissions at:
https://consult.gov.scot/transport-scotland/clyde-and-hebrides-ferry-services-and-islands/
Submissions have to be in by 8 March
TCC has now launched a survey to allow residents and business owners to capture the impacts (financial or otherwise) of the current disruption to ferry services. Responses will be collated to give an overall sense of the impacts, as well as individual examples potentially being used as case studies (if respondents indicate they are happy for us to do so – that part is up to you).
Please complete the survey here: https://forms.gle/nKtJ8GcoxNTzsX137
Good Afternoon,
CalMac has today announced that bookings for Summer 2023 (31 March – 15 October) will open on Friday 20 January.
All routes can be viewed on our website from Thursday 19 January and will be available to book on Friday 20 January, with the exception of:
· Mallaig-Small Isles
· Mallaig-Armadale
· Mallaig-Lochboisdale
These routes require additional time due to the number of tidal amendments required and the complexity of operating three services from one berth in Mallaig. Due to this, sailings in and out of Mallaig will open for bookings by Tuesday 31 January.
Online bookings will open at 7am on Friday 20 January, with telephone reservations available from 9am. A queueing system will be in operation on our website to manage the quality of the customer experience when booking online.
We’re working to finalise timetables for the last week of the Summer Timetable (the period between 16 and 22 October inclusive) as we work to finalise vessel deployment during the start of the annual overhaul period.
The fares freeze will apply for the whole of the Summer Timetable, up to and including Sunday 22 October.
For more information, please see our website here
Kind regards,
Don McKillop
Area Operations Manager – Clyde
CalMac Ferries Ltd
On behalf of Donna Lockhart
CalMac are running a consultation on proposed changes to the current ‘waitlist’ process; to be replaced with an ‘advanced standby’.
This consultation will be open from the 5th of September 2022 and will close on the 5th of October 2022.
You can find details of this proposal and how to submit a response to the consultation in the document below:
A few months ago CalMac carried out a consultation on proposed changes to the Terms and Conditions placed on customers when ordering tickets.
We have received a feedback document regarding the findings and recommended outcomes from this process – you can read this in full below.
Many times over the years, Tiree Community Council has discussed the difficulties islanders face getting a ferry slot during busy periods.
Mull have been working to convince the Scottish Government and CalMac to find a way to give islanders fair access to ferry space, when so much of it is booked months in advance by visitors.
The ‘Samso System’ is modelled on arrangements used on the Danish island of Samso that ensure island residents get equal access to ferry space. The Samso ferry company reserves car deck space on every sailing that can only be pre-sold to island residents (or other essential regular users from the mainland like GPs and delivery drivers). They adjust the amount of space reserved for islanders on each sailing, using past carrying data as a guide. This increases the likelihood that islanders will be able to buy a vehicle ticket on the sailing of their choice, and helps to make ticket availability more equal, regardless of whether you have booked your ticket months in advance for a holiday, or days in advance for a shopping trip.
More than 700 respondents from Mull and Iona completed an online survey about this, with an overwhelming 95% in support. Coll have also canvassed islanders on the proposal and found a similar level of support.
Mull and Iona Ferry Committee have now met Jenny Gilruth, the Minister of Transport in the Scottish Government. She and Transport Scotland have committed to implementing some kind of prioritisation system on a trial basis next summer. The trial will be on at least one route – Craignure-Oban – but they are open to running on others. Tiree and Coll need to decide whether to apply to be part of this pilot.
We will discuss this at our September public meeting. Let us know what you think.
Please find the response TCC sent to CalMac below.
The representations in the letter are based on the 25 responses we received to our own survey. Of these 25, 84% of these were island residents; the notable exceptions being tourism business owners and a Coll resident.
Letter to CalMac in Response to Terms and Conditions Consultation – 7.6.22
While some respondents felt that the proposed changes were reasonable; the majority (75%) were against the changes.
Among the reasons cited were that the measures feel disproportionate for the Tiree-Coll route specifically, where no-shows are less common. Many respondents also drew attention to the fact that the lack of refund for short-notice cancellations is counterintuitive to the policy’s aims – without incentive to cancel, no-shows and ineffective use of deck space will remain an issue.
Specific concerns were also raised about how the policy may disproportionately affect crofting communities, where moving livestock brings a host of additional considerations.
We hope that this feedback will inform discussion going forward, and would like to thank those who filled out the survey.
As many of you will know, CalMac are introducing a new ticketing system this year and hope to also update their Terms and Conditions.
Part of the proposed changes includes a cancellation levy; a measure which is hoped will reduce no-shows by providing an incentive to cancel unneeded reservations early.
Representatives from CalMac (our Area Operations Manager Don McKillop and Alan Hood, head of Customer Experience along with a member of his team) attended last month’s public meeting and made a presentation on these proposals, and also made time to answer questions and concerns from members of the public.
This consultation is a follow-on from that; for anyone who was unable to attend the meeting to make their voices heard.
Anyone wishing to contact CalMac directly can do so by emailing: CFTC.consultation@calmac.co.uk
If you missed the meeting, but would like to view the slides and consultation document, you can do so here:
As many of you will know, CalMac plans to introduce a new ticketing system this year, dubbed Ar Turas; our journey. Coming into effect this October, these are major changes to the service after using the current system for more than 25 years.
The new system has been used successfully by major ferry organisations across the world including Grimaldi, Scandlines and BC Ferries.
It is hoped that these changes will maximise the way the space on the car deck is used, as well as improving communication with customers.
The Ar Turas (Our Journey) project will revolutionise the way we interact with customers, making travel simpler and easier.
Tiree Community Council has previously had a representative from CalMac attend one of our meetings to give a presentation on these changes, and we hope to receive further updates as the implementation draws closer. We have been assured that the project will be under ‘constant review’, with a commitment to keeping customers and stakeholders updated as the changes come into effect.
To find out more, and to read the FAQ’s on the project, follow this link to the CalMac website.