MINISTERS have been urged to pump extra cash into Scotland’s ferries in a bid to tackle tens of thousands of delays and cancellations.
More than 70,000 ferries were late or failed to sail altogether on routes operated by CalMac over the last decade.
It came as a Holyrood committee called for investment in the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services to be prioritised in the upcoming Budget.
MSPs said there had been a lengthy period of underinvestment in key infrastructure, with less than half the amount of required funding set aside in the last ten years.
In a debate at Holyrood, the Scottish Conservatives said criticism should be “focused squarely at the door of the Government, which after a decade in office, has yet to deliver a sustainable, fit-for-purpose fleet and network of ferries in Scotland”.
The party’s transport spokesman Jamie Greene said: "Enough simply is enough. For too long, the Scottish Government has ignored repeated warnings from the industry. The public are sick and tired of the disruption, of the delays and of the cancellations.
"They were promised new vessels, they haven't arrived. They asked for one type of vessel and they were delivered another. They were promised their needs would be put first and instead, they're queuing for hours on end to get a ferry home."
The Scottish Government has added eight new ferries to the CalMac fleet since 2007, with a further two new vessels commissioned.
Another new ferry has also been lined up to serve the Islay route, with £62 million in harbour investment made to the Clyde and Hebrides network since 2013.
However the operator was forced to warn of disruption during the summer because of breakdowns in its ageing fleet, with the average vessel on a lifeline route now 22 years old. New ferries have also been repeatedly delayed.
Scottish Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Mike Rumbles called on the SNP to implement a long-term plan of investment
Islands minister Paul Wheelhouse said: "We're delivering, but it will take time to deliver in full.
"I do understand the very real challenges that are faced as a consequence of service disruption.
"I'm determined we must get this right and in addition to closely monitoring operational performance, we are developing an action plan with our ferry operators to ensure appropriate measures are in place to improve the customer experience when things do go wrong".
Labour MSP Colin Smith added: "It's no exaggeration to say Scotland's ferry network provides a lifeline for communities.
"Poor planning and investment by the Scottish Government that is not meeting growing demand means our ferry network is not fit for purpose despite at times, the quite heroic efforts of staff to keep those ferries going.”
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