CalMac

[BCram]

Thank you for your post.
There does not appear to be the same problems with ferries on the Northlink route despite the ferries on this route sailing in far worse weather conditions than Calmac ferries whose sailings are continually being cancelled due to swell conditions.
Northlink ferries are operated by Serco PLC.
Incidentally in November 2016 I received a tip off from two members of a ferry group that Serco who were bidding to be the operating company running the ferries on the 2016-24 Clyde and Hebridean ferry routes asked for certain protections which Transport Scotland bosses refused to give because the Scottish Government owned Calmac Ferries Limited had not asked for them.
As a result Serco were immediately barred from tendering for this contract which was then given to Calmac Ferries Limited as they were the remaining bidder.
In my opinion Serco must now be delighted that Transport Scotland bosses barred them from tendering as they would have continually received complaints from SNP and Green MSPs because Serco is a Public Limited Company and ‘fair game’ as far as these Scottish politicians are concerned.
Transport is a devolved matter at Holyrood and Nicola Sturgeon cannot blame Westminster for the current Calmac Ferries fiasco.

Do you know what the protections they asked for were? You just have to look at the rail franchise system to see the problems that using the government as the customer causes. I think there may be a completely different mindset needed for our public transport system both ferries and trains. Kicking the SNP and Greens may be completely counter productive and be harming their ability to strike fair deals on wages and conditions that would ultimately benefit moaning customers who live on Islay!
Perhaps if you fired bullets at the operating companies rather than the politicians who should be working on the general publics behave, you might have more success.