Caledonian MacBrayne is embarking on a journey of its own this month, on a mission to find out how they can improve their lifeline services.
Senior bosses of the ferry company will hold a series of 24 meetings in mainland and island ports next month.
The programme is the largest single exercise of its kind that the company has undertaken since securing its contract in 2007.
It is designed to gather public views on the delivery of ferry services from 2016 onwards, and will help inform CalMac’s bid to win the next contract.
The contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) expires on September 30 next year and the process to pick the next operator is already underway.
The contract will set out the parameters of the service, dictating how much is charged, timetables and routes, and the ports and vessels which must be used.
The fleet is owned by a separate organisation, Caledonian Martime Assets Ltd (CMAL), which is also responsible for the design and procurement of new ships.
CMAL also owns approximately half of the 50 ports and harbours on the CHFS routes and is responsible for their repair and maintenance.
The meetings also follow more than 70 meetings with individuals and other organisation last year.
CalMac is a wholly-owned subsidiary of David MacBrayne Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the Scottish Government.
Martin Dorchester, chief executive of David MacBrayne Ltd, said: “We are working hard to retain the CHFS contract next October, which is why we are seeking the views of the real experts – the people who rely on this service day in, day out.
“Our bid for the new contract will be shaped by the views of the people we will meet as we travel up and down the west coast over the course of the next month. It is critical that we understand our passengers’ experiences of the current service and their aspirations for the future service. We’ll never be able to control everything – not least the west coast weather – but there will always be ways we can improve the customer experience on our boats and it is vital that we listen to the views of our passengers if we are to submit a bid deserving of winning the next contract.”
The full programme of public meetings is available at www.calmac.co.uk/community-engagement-meetings