ISLANDERS on Mull will be able to commute to work in Oban for the first time under a proposed improvements to the west of Scotland ferry timetable.
A consultation has been launched with local communities on plans for the CalMac summer 2016 timetable.
The proposals include the introduction of a direct return service between Oban and Barra using a dedicated vessel to deliver a "considerable increase" in passenger capacity on the route, as well as a daily direct return service between Lochboisdale andMallaig, also using a dedicated vessel.
Transport Scotland also wants to introduce an additional 50 weekly sailings on the Oban-Craignure route, with additional vessels supplementing the MV Isle of Mull. The move would make Oban "a commutable destination from Mull for the first time", say transport chiefs.
Other proposed changes include 10 per cent more sailings on the Mallaig-Armadale route and a more than 30 per cent increase in capacity on services to Coll, Tiree and Colonsay.
Transport Minister Derek Mackay said “Since taking up my post I have spoken to stakeholders throughout the network, from councils to ferry users groups, to see if changes can be made to ensure our ferry services continue to deliver the best possible service.
“This enhanced timetable offers a number of improvements: proposals include increasing capacity on certain services, offering more sailings and reorganising vessel deployment to get the most from our ferry fleet."
CalMac's, director of operations, Drew Collier added: "This enhanced timetable answers many of the questions we have been getting asked about how we could better tailor our services to suit the needs of the communities we serve."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here