MSP Katy Clark has said proposals to cancel the Ardrossan-Campbeltown ferry service in the event of breakdowns in other parts of the CalMac network are "disappointing".
The Labour West of Scotland MSP spoke out after the CalMac’s new Route Prioritisation Framework consultation was unveiled - including the proposal to reroute the Campbeltown service if another ferry broke down elsewhere.
Ms Clark said she recognised the fact that the Campbeltown service was one of the few which had a land link option.
But she told the Herald: “It is disappointing that these changes mean the Campbeltown service will now be permanently intermittent at best.
“Given the MV Hebridean Isles has been out of action this summer anyway, this new framework means those who regularly travel on the route will only face more disruption going forward.
“I will continue to call on CalMac to fully scrutinise whether the service can be protected wherever possible, but I recognise that CalMac feels it has been left with little option but to prioritise island routes without land links because of a lack of spare vessels.
“The Scottish Government has failed to replenish its fleet over the past decade and it’s ferry users who are paying the price.
"Islanders are crying out for a sensible and sustainable ferry replacement plan to add resilience to the fleet.”
In the consultation document, CalMac said: "Based on other feedback we have received we also propose to introduce the following principles that will be adopted during major vessel outages.
"As Ardrossan-Campbeltown and Mallaig-Armadale have land links, these should be disrupted first if a vessel cascade is needed and where appropriate.
"We will aim to limit the impact on any single route to around one week at a time.
"We genuinely understand how crucial our services are to each community. When we face such challenges, we use the Route Prioritisation Framework to decide how best to distribute services so that they can benefit the most people.
"We don’t have spare vessels on standby, but we are constantly striving to improve and ensure that disruptions are minimised.
"Your patience and understanding through this process means a lot to us, and we're always here to listen and adapt."
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