Fears have been expressed over possible cuts to vital ferry services between Gourock and Dunoon.

Thousands of people use the routes each year which are provided by state owned CalMac and privately run Western Ferries.

Scottish Government agency Transport Scotland have published a review into the services between the two towns and from Gourock to Kilcreggan on the Rosneath peninsula.

The 90-page report by environmental consultants Stantec questions the need for a CalMac passenger-only ferry between Gourock and Dunoon given Western also provide the same service.

The report also suggests that the current CalMac ferry from Gourock to Kilcreggan be replaced by a new triangular service linking Gourock, Dunoon and Kilcreggan.

(Image: Duncan Bryceland) Gourock councillor Lynne Quinn says any cuts in the daily CalMac services would impact on local people who travel to Dunoon for work and businesses which rely on visitors from Dunoon and Kilcreggan.

She said: "The community council have been trying for a number of years to get the CalMac car ferry reinstated and this would be another blow.

"We need to find out more about this and what any reduction would look like."

Inverclyde Councillor Sandra Reynolds, who is a member of Clyde, Kintyre and Islands Ferries Stakeholder Group, told the Telegraph there will be a public consultation on all proposals in the report.

David Clough, of Dunoon Community Council, fears the Stantec review is a precursor to further cuts in ferry services between the two towns.

He added: "There are major concerns over the proposal for the CalMac pedestrian ferry which would have a major impact on both Gourock and Dunoon.

"Every day there are considerable numbers of people arriving in Dunoon from Gourock by ferry on foot to work who then commute back in the evening.

"The CalMac and Western Ferries services are vital service to both communities."

Transport Scotland has already began a public consultation on proposed changes to the Gourock to Kilcreggan service.

There are 25 sailings per week on the route, with none on a Sunday. Around 47,000 passengers were carried on the route in 2022.

At present CalMac, which is owned by the Scottish Government, provide a pedestrian only ferry from Dunoon Pier to Gourock Ferry terminal with a train connection to Glasgow Central Station.

The Western Ferries service, which also carries vehicles, is from Hunters Quay, near Dunoon, and McInroy's Point, on the outskirts of Gourock.

Both ferry services operate from around 6am to after 11pm.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The future shape of the Gourock-Dunoon/Kilcreggan ferry services has to balance meeting community needs with providing value for money. 

"Services should run when people need them but also be proportionate to demand.

"Current service costs are high and customers' fares only cover a small proportion of those costs.

“The ferry services continue to support daily commuting in both directions for work and education, in particular connecting with ScotRail services to and from Glasgow, but the report identified very low usage levels on a number of sailings outside the morning and evening peaks.

“We absolutely understand the need for clarity and certainty over the service for both employees and passengers, so we aim to make decision by the end of the year.”