Bus link agreed for new Lochboisdale Mallaig service
Ferry operator CalMac has signed a deal with Fort William based Shiel Buses to provide onward links for foot passengers using the new Lochboisdale to Mallaig service.
The service will provide a daily direct service between South Uist and the mainland for the first time.
Shiel Buses have altered the time of the morning Mallaig to Fort William service so that this now meets the vessel arriving from Lochboisdale. A brand new service will also leave Fort William in time to meet the afternoon sailing back to Lochboisdale.
"I'm delighted that the we have been able to come to a agreement with Highland Council and Shiel Buses to provide public transport links to meet this new service," said CalMac's operations director, Drew Collier.
"This new service will allow foot passengers from the Uists to get to Fort William and back on the same day for the first time significantly improving the islands connectivity for both social and business purposes."
CalMac's enhanced summer timetable for 2016 offers a number of improvements including increased capacity on certain services and more sailings overall.
As well as the new Lochboisdale Mallaig service improvements include:
A daily direct return service between Oban-Barra with a dedicated vessel, delivering a considerable increase in capacity.
An additional 50 weekly sailings on the Oban-Craignure route, with additional vessels supplementing the MV Isle of Mull. This means Oban will become a commutable destination from Mull for the first time.
10% more sailings on the Mallaig-Armadale route.
Over 30% increase in capacity on services to Coll, Tiree and Colonsay.
"These improvements answer a great deal of the the questions we are asked about how we could better tailor our services to suit the needs of the communities we serve, added Mr Collier.
Full summer timetable available at www.calmac.co.uk