Improvement pledge as ferry contract is directly awarded to CalMac

West coast ferry services are to be focused on a "public service model" after ministers awarded the contract to publicly-owned operator CalMac Ferries.

The decision relates to the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Service and transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said the move "fundamentally changes the ethos of the service by shifting from a commercial arrangement" to a model more focused on "the needs of the communities it serves".

She said: "I fully expect the direct award to be a catalyst for positive change across the Clyde and Hebrides network, based on a more efficient, flexible model of delivery that fully reflects community interests."

The award follows work to ensure a direct award would not be subject to legal challenge.

The new contract will begin on October 1.

Duncan Mackison, chief executive of CalMac, said: "During the extension period for the current contract, we recognised the need for change and are already driving change through the expansion of local teams, enhanced community engagement and improved responsiveness to local requirements.

"This work will allow us to hit the ground running when the new contract starts and, with six major and seven small vessels joining the fleet between 2025 and 2029, our capability to deliver a resilient, reliable service for all across the Clyde and Hebrides will grow."

However, Tory transport spokesperson Sue Webber commented: "While this announcement provides continuity, the bottom line is that CalMac will continue to carry the can for the SNP's dire mismanagement of the ferry network.

"Islanders have been betrayed by the SNP time and time again, and any ferry provider is only as good as the fleet it has to work with.

"Scotland's ferry network has been run into the ground by successive incompetent SNP ministers. It's time for them to show some common sense and provide CalMac with a resilient fleet that can properly serve our island communities."