Timetables wait for Edinburgh to set fares

This emerges from a statement by CalMac which also reveals a “two phase” approach to publishing the summer timetable meaning an indefinite delay until they can say when bookings for the peak tourism season will open.

Regarding “phase one” between 31st March and June 4th, CalMac say: “Finalised timetables will be issued when Transport Scotland confirms the 2023 fare levels, which is expected to happen in early January. Details such as sailing times have been agreed and are ready to be released as soon as a decision about fares is made”.

This claim that the timetable for the first part of the summer season is being held up because somebody in Edinburgh has not yet set the CalMac fares has added to frustration over the implications of the delays.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar transportation committee chairman, Uisdean Robertson, said on Wednesday that he was receiving many representations on the issue. “These are coming from tourism businesses”, he said, “but also from locals who cannot plan ahead. Everyone is affected by this.

“People in the islands who have holidays to book or family events to attend are just as keen as tourists to make their arrangements in advance and to get in first with bookings. We are fed up hearing about the Uig closure as the excuse for everything. They have had months to plan for this”.

One tourism operator told the Gazette: “Many families plan their summer holidays over the Christmas period. If they cannot book to come here then they decide to go somewhere else, where there is certainty. On top of all the publicity about ferry unreliability, this is exactly what we didn’t need”.

CalMac say they aim to produce the “phase one” timetable by the end of January with bookings opening “shortly after publication”.

However, CalMac can only say “phase two” timetables – for June to October - “will be made available as soon as we are able to do so”.

Tourism businesses fear that, by then, many potential visitors will have given up and made other plans.

In a statement, CalMac said: “Each year, extensive consultation takes place with communities around the planning of timetables. At the same time, the planning process accounts for interdependencies between routes, berth availabilities, connecting services and tidal changes.

“This sequence of work was impacted by the focus on a solution surrounding the closure of Uig Harbour for critical maintenance work, resulting in the normal summer timetable consultation process being moved out by several months.

“Since then, we have been condensing timetable work into as short a time as possible to be able to publish timetables in late January. Staff must then enter and quality control thousands of manual entries into our booking platform.

“Our people are working at pace to open the remaining phase for bookings as soon as possible”.

However, Uisdean Robertson described the failure to produce timetables as “extremely disappointing and seems to be in breach of contractual commitments. We now have the latest timetables ever and someone should be held to account for this.

“For that CalMac imply much of the blame rests with Transport Scotland but they have a habit of passing the buck for their failings these days. The latest excuse seems to be that they are waiting for fares to be confirmed but we also know the new booking system is horribly late and one wonders if issues around this are being covered up”.