Ferry sensible

I was interested to see that there was a suggestion that the big ferry might be better served by moving to an hourly timetable.

Even more interesting was an unexpected outburst of Common Sense, with the idea being received by some reasoned logic that there may be some merit to its appearance, rather than the usual anti-CalMac rhetoric that any suggestion from the company seems to receive, as if it was the spawn of the devil – progress indeed.

I freely admit to having missed more than one ferry thanks to the 45 minute schedule, and been left fuming on the pier while waiting for the next, and not just for another 45 minutes either – my travel plans used to conveniently land in the hole that sat in the timetable when the ‘next’ sailing was hopped over while the boat was serviced, meaning lots of time to enjoy the view, and consider that I really should be carrying a copy of the timetable.

They say the hourly schedule would integrate better with trains and buses, no bad thing thing since they don’t seem to be willing to lift a finger and integrate (or be offered the same hostility as CalMac), and that there would be a benefit in that although the frequency would change, the total sailing would not necessarily be reduced, as there would be earlier and later sailing in the day. And that’s interesting, since this is something that is often cried out for, but when trialled in the past result in more or less empty boats when late sailing were added.

Worth watching to see how the idea develops. But don’t watch too closely as change will be slow – changes to the timetable need six month’s notification to the Scottish Governement.