Argyllshire and Dunoon News

What are your thoughts on this?
Is Western Ferries right to complain about CalMac's accounts?
Is CalMac right to threaten legal action?
The politicians are all making the right noises about a vehicle service, but will they deliver?
What would Dunoon's town centre be like without a vehicle service?
Share your thoughts with the world...

If Cal-Mac are abusing the system, then yes.

Why are so many voting for a vehicular service. It was the same at the public meetings. If so many people want a town centre service, why are the majority of vehicles using Western Ferries. Seems people want two competing services, but will only use one of them! Doesn`t make financial sense to me, no matter what way you look at it.

You've hit the nail on the head - people want two competing services - the fact that one can run as often as it chooses and the other is restricted to one an hour doesn't quite match that criterion, does it?
Miss a Calmac ferry and you've got an hour's wait - miss Western's and you've got perhaps ten minutes - it doesn't take a genius to work out why Western's creaming off the bulk of the traffic.

The present passenger only service does not run in bad weather you have to wait for the vehicle service. If we only had a passenger service it would be a disaster.

As others have said;

Two competing services are required to keep prices down.
Western Ferries only carry more vehicles now because they have an unrestricted timetable.

Questions we should be asking the Minister for Transport, Stewart Stevenson MSP (SNP), are;

Why has he not already lifted timetable restrictions on CalMac?
Why has he not removed shore ticketing requirements on CalMac (Western Ferries does not suffer from this meaningless restriction)?

The high cost of ferry journeys strangles Dunoon and Cowal.

The answer to bad weather is suitable passenger ferries if that is the only option. The "Maid" type of vessel may be the only suitable type, and if required sheltered linkspans/berths. The Dunoon new linkspan is not sutable in certain winds as the area gets washed with spray, which I`m sure would be a hazard for passengers. Fingers crossed there will be at least 1 of the 4 companies willing to provide a suitable service.

Why should we be crossing our fingers?
Surely our elected representatives should be delivering a good solution for Cowal. That has to be competing vehicle services operating in all weathers.

At the moment Western Ferries don't really have competition because of the restricitions CalMac operate under. Look at the cost of a visitor bringing a family of four over to Cowal in a car, this must really put a lot of people off. With only one vehicle operator the situation will get even worse.