Highlands and Islands Regional MSP Tim Eagle has welcomed positive comments from the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, about the prospects of rolling out provision for reserved places on CalMac ferries to island residents.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament chamber, the Transport Secretary indicated that if current trials of reserved places on some crossings proved successful she would support the rolling out of the scheme to other routes.
Tim Eagle MSP said: “In recent years there has been very little good news to celebrate about the ferries so it makes a nice change to be able to acknowledge something more positive.
“Many local people have been in contact with me expressing their frustration at not being able to book crossings because of a lack of capacity, so the prospect of there being reserved places should be good news for them. It is particularly important for people who rely on the ferries for medical treatment or other important appointments.
“Nevertheless, this is still far from ideal and we need to keep the pressure up until we have a ferry service that is fit for purpose and is capable of accommodating everyone who actually wants to use it, whether they are residents, visitors, or commercial operators bringing goods to and from the islands.”