The draft, which CalMac says is for discussion only at this stage, would feature departures from Rothesay at 0630 and 0700 (not on Saturdays), then every hour until 1900.

In the other direction, sailings would leave Wemyss Bay at 0715 and 0800 (not Saturdays), then every hour from 0900 to 1400, then at 1515, 1615 and 1700, and hourly until the last departure at 2000.

Sunday sailings would operate hourly in each direction between 0800 and 1900 from Rothesay, and from 0900 to 2000 from Wemyss Bay.

But Gerry Chambers, the new chairman of the Bute Ferry Users Group (BFUG), says the draft - while a bit easier to follow than the present 45-minute frequency - confirms the group's fears about the removal of the current commuter sailings from the timetable.

"In its current form," Mr Chambers told us, "this draft would be unacceptable to BFUG.

"Where is the evidence that this would be an improvement? Two less sailings a day and over five hundred less per annum does not, in our view, constitute an improvement in the service."

The draft was unveiled this week at the first meeting of a local working group, with members from CalMac, BFUG, Bute Community Council and Bute Beyond 2000, formed to look at all aspects of the island's current ferry services.

Its contents will be examined in more detail at the working group's next meeting later this month.

"On the one hand," Mr Chambers continued, "they (CalMac] are using better integration with the trains as a reason for the changes. However, the train timetable would not integrate with the evening sailings from Wemyss Bay, e.g. at 1700, 1800 and 1900, and would result in an even longer day for regular commuters.

"We note with interest that there is a 1515 and 1600 sailing from Wemyss Bay - the preceding gap of one hour 15 minutes probably for refeulling - so it is obviously possible to vary the sailings from hourly to 45 minutes when it suits.

"We recognise that commuters are only a section of the community and that an hourly service may not perturb others. However, the feedback we are getting from members, and the views expressed by Shearings, demonstrate to us that there is considerable concern about where concessions on levels of service now may take us in the future.

"We look forward to discussing an alternative to this draft within the working group, preferably one that protects the commuter sailings in the evening and provides us with the same number of sailings, with additional sailings in the evening and, perhaps, at the weekend.

"That would be an improvement in the service."