Community councillor Bill McQueen was among those present at a meeting at Chandlers in Ascog last month at which the idea to move from the current 45 minute frequency was first floated, and Mr McQueen told his fellow BCC members he had been impressed by Caledonian MacBrayne's attitude to the idea.

"I said at a meeting three years ago that it is ludicrous to have an hourly train service but a ferry every 45 minutes," he said.

"If I am on the ten past ten ferry and it misses the train, it takes me two and a half hours to get to Glasgow, so I think an hourly service would be extremely beneficial.

"But it is only a suggestion, which CalMac cannot impose, because their present contract is for the present service.

"It is not a whitewash by CalMac - in fact I was impressed with their openness."

On the concerns aired by the Bute Ferry Users Group (BFUG) about any diminution in service, Mr McQueen said: "Commuter services should be protected. BFUG always seem to think that CalMac are pulling a 'fast one' but at the end of the meeting even they could see the possibilities.

"The CalMac representatives went on to say that they are looking at a new electronic method which will tell them when the train comes in and also agreed to look at the information displayed on the departure screens at Glasgow Central.

"In addition they said that on busy days such as Bute Highland Games they will abandon the timetable and run a shuttle service."

But not everyone at last Wednesday's meeting at the Pavilion café was in a mood to offer praise.

Argyll and Bute councillor Isobel Strong complained: "Had we known about the substance of the meeting which was held on the same evening as the February meeting of Bute Community Council, and at very short notice, one of the three Argyll and Bute councillors would have been there."

And from the public gallery Lachie MacMillan asked why, with the upgrading work taking place at Paisley, there couldn't be a half-hourly service between Glasgow and Wemyss Bay.

Mr MacMillan also suggested the provision of a luggage van on the ferries so that passengers could check their heavier luggage in at Rothesay and Wemyss Bay and retrieve it on the other side.

On Mr MacMillan's first suggestion, island councillor Len Scoullar replied: "I have spoken to Network Rail and I am told that what we have at the moment is the maximum number of trains which can be run on the line."

The island's three Argyll and Bute councillors also came in for some criticism, with Kilchattan Bay's Rosemary Laxton sending a letter in her absence stating her concern that two of the trio had lent their support to an hourly service - provoking a reaction from Cllr Strong, who pointed out that she did not agree with the idea.

Mr McQueen also said the Chandlers meeting had discussed parking at Wemyss Bay and the lack of a 'park and ride' service operated by CalMac; on the latter point he said CalMac had undertaken to talk to car park owner First ScotRail on behalf of Bute's car-using commuters.

Meanwhile, the Rothesay ferry service in its current form returned to something approaching normality when MV Bute returned late from her annual overhaul on Friday afternoon.

The vessel was able to relieve the older, and smaller, MV Saturn, which had coped manfully with the traffic for two days despite only being able to load and unload via her stern ramp.