Only 7 days when CalMac sailings ran to timetable in 15 months

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today said that the SNP have let down islanders for too long after new research by his party found that there were only 7 days when CalMac sailings ran to their scheduled timetable in 15 months.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request found that between 1 January 2023 and 31 March 2024:

• There were just 7 days when all timetabled CalMac sailings “performed to schedule.”
• Ferries were cancelled (performed below schedule) on 285 days out of 456. This is a rise of 24% when compared to 1 January 2022-31 March 2023.
• More and more ferries are being cancelled for technical reasons, causing the loss of 5,251 sailings across the 15-month period, up  57% compared to last year.

Mr Rennie said:

“The SNP have let down islanders for too long.

“Despite the maintenance bill for ferries spiralling, there is almost nothing to show for it. More than 5,000 ferries were cancelled for technical reasons in the last year.

“Islanders are losing business, missing events and hospital appointments. The SNP have had 17 years to sort this out; they have no one else to blame but themselves.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats would get the basics right and stand up for island communities. That starts by making sure islanders have access to the ferries they need and rebuilding our country’s economic reputation, which has been sorely undermined by the SNP.”