Transport Scotland and CalMac Ferries have signed agreements to bring the operation of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services under full public control.
The new arrangements, which commence on October 1, 2025, will see almost £4 billion ($5.1 billion) of public funding invested in the service over a ten-year period.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop stated that the new arrangements fundamentally change the ethos of the services from a commercial arrangement to a model fully focused on delivering a public service for Scotland’s island and rural communities.
Island communities have long called for better resilience and reliability of the ferry services. The new contract is intended to deliver those improvements, with significant investment in new vessels, increased services on the Sound of Barra and secondary Arran routes this winter, and the recruitment of additional CalMac crew.
Transport Scotland said the new model also embeds the requirement for continued engagement with the ferries community board to ensure community views are heard.
Duncan Mackison, CEO at CalMac, said the new contract creates a framework to operate ferry services which are, "safe, reliable, and better integrated with other transport providers."
"We acknowledge that there have been challenges in recent years but we're fully invested in continuing to drive up standards and delivering for the communities we serve," he said, noting that a dozen new vessels are on the way.