Introduction

Islands Connectivity Plan Community Needs Assessments

Transport Scotland is currently developing the Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP), which is replacing the Ferries Plan 2013-2022. Central to the ICP will be a set of ‘Community Needs Assessments’ (CNA), which will provide a consistent means of identifying the current level of ferry service provision received by an island or peninsular community, any problems associated with this and, where relevant, options for service improvements or reductions. Given the centrality of the CNA process to determining future service provision, it is essential that each assessment is based on a robust methodology. 

The requirement for each CNA is to set out the current and future ‘needs’ of ferry dependent island and peninsular communities in terms of their ferry service (Community Needs Assessment) and align this with an appropriate level of service, in the process identifying potential under or over-provision of services compared to the service currently provided on the route. Please note that for brevity, the term ‘island’ is used forthwith and all references to islands also apply to peninsular communities, unless otherwise stated.

Scotland’s ferry services perform four main roles:

  • Meeting the travel needs of island residents
  • Meeting the travel needs of visitors to the islands
  • Meeting the supply-chain needs of islands in terms of inbound supplies and raw materials and outbound exports
  • Supporting business travel and services delivered to islands by mainland suppliers, particularly in smaller communities

To determine whether island needs are being met or not, a six-stage process is being adopted. These steps are summarised below.

Step 1

  • Allocation of current service to one of seven defined ‘Route Service Levels’ (summer/winter)

Step 2

  • Analysis of connectivity provided by the current service (summer/winter)

Step 3

  • Analysis of the performance of the current service – carryings, capacity, performance and connectivity

Step 4

  • Narrative and, where appropriate, indicators around travel by island residents, leisure visitors/tourists, the island supply-chain and service delivery.

Step 5

  • Gap analysis

Step 6

  • Option generation and appraisal/business case scoping.

This document sets out Steps 1-3 for the routes detailed below. 

Step 1: Route Service Levels

Step 1 takes the form of a narrative which includes:

  • Allocation of the route to its ‘Route Service Level’ for summer and winter
  • A description of the operating characteristics of the route in terms of:
    • The type of waters in which it operates (categorised or open sea)
    • The crewing arrangements, which can be used to understand the flexibility to amend services within a ‘Route Service Level’
  • A description of any route specific characteristics that can affect its performance, e.g., tidal constraints

Step 2: Analysis of connectivity

Step 2 provides headline analysis of connectivity offered by the current timetabled service, supported by an interactive dashboard which provides a range of route specific data, including connectivity mapping. This incorporates:

  • Length of operating day (i.e., the elapsed time between the first departure and last arrival of the ferry service)
  • Time of the first sailing from the island
  • Time of the last arrival to the island
  • Time of the first sailing from the mainland
  • Time of the last arrival to the mainland
  • The ability to make a meaningful day-return trip to mainland / island without one or more overnight stays. The extent to which the day return trip offered is ‘meaningful’ will depend on the travel needs of each community and will be considered in Step 4 of each CNA
  • Total ferry connections per day (i.e., frequency), split by direction
  • Connecting bus and rail services (departures and arrivals)
  • Public transport and car-based connectivity mapping, showing mainland onward travel times in colour contours based on selected ferry arrivals

Step 3: Carryings, capacity utilisation and performance

Step 3 provides headline indicators on the performance of each route in terms of reliability (cancellations), punctuality (running to timetable) and capacity utilisation (the ability to travel with a vehicle). These headlines are again supported by an interactive dashboard which provides a range of route specific data, including sailing-by-sailing analysis.

A description of any major supply-side changes over the last 10-years, e.g., a new vessel is also provided to assist with the interpretation of the headline trends and dashboard data.

It should be noted that, from Step 4 onwards (which is outside the scope of this commission), it will be necessary for some islands to combine the different routes that serve them.

Timetable Assumptions

Given the significant disruption on the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Service (CHFS) in 2024, the analysis is based on the published:

  • Summer 2023 timetable
  • Winter 2023/24 timetable

At the point at which Steps 4-6 of the CNA are being progressed, the analysis should be revisited to ensure that this remains an accurate representation of the route.

Please note: the interactive dashboard referred to in this document is available, broken down into specific route datasets, by contacting Transport Scotland at: ICP@transport.gov.scot