The David MacBryane company has won the eight year contract for running Cal Mac ferry service after submitting a £900m bid.

The state-owned company was vying with private company Serco for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry route which includes Cumbrae-Largs, and Wemyss Bay-Rothesay within its remit.

Cal Mac proposals include: -

* £6 million investment in vessel and port improvements

* The introduction of smart and integrated ticketing systems on key routes

* Increase passenger/vehicle traffic by 10% and commercial traffic by 12% over the course of the contract

* Providing more opportunities for local employment, including more apprenticeships

* The creation of a new Director of Community and Stakeholder Engagement post and a Communities Board to better involve communities in investment and services decisions

* Retaining its head office in Gourock and maintaining its status as a Living Wage employer

* All existing routes and services will continue to operate as they do now

In addition to these headline proposals, CalMac has committed to retaining the CalMac pension scheme and a policy of no compulsory redundancies

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I’m very pleased to announce CalMac Ferries Ltd as our preferred bidder for the next Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract.

“CalMac have a long and proud tradition of running the Clyde and Hebrides routes, and the company is woven into the fabric of the communities they serve.

“Their tender offers a good deal for those communities served by these vital transport links and ensures that we can maximise the opportunities to support and nurture our island economies.

“CalMac will better manage demand to drive an increase in traffic, as well as make the ferry services more attractive with the introduction of smart ticketing on key routes.

“The Scottish Government has made a clear commitment to our ferry services, investing a record £1 billion in port infrastructure, vessels and services since 2007.

“Scottish Ministers will retain control of all of important issues, such as fares and timetables, through the public service contract. Vessels and port infrastructure will also remain publicly owned as they are now.

“This new contract looks to make further improvements our ferry services, and I look forward to CalMac starting the new contract later this year.”

Talking about the tender, David MacBryane chief executive Martin Dorchester recently told the 'News' : “What we have been doing year on year is enhancing timetables, working on getting more money to invest in more vessels, and have worked hard on how we market the islands and communities.
“People get into a habit of talking about that you can run a transport operation cheaper and more efficiently, and I don’t see Cal Mac as simply a transport operation.
“I see Cal Mac as part of the west coast of Scotland economic support engine, I see Cal Mac part of facilitating livelihoods on the islands and the coast, trade, economy and growing rather than slash, burn and cut and we can deliver more efficiently.
“It is how we grow, develop, and how we best spend our money and we have done that and keep affirming that.”

The controversial tendering bid was a source of dispute between unions and Cal Mac and the Scottish government last year.

The duration of the new eight year contract begins on 1 October.