Caledonian MacBrayne records 99% fall in Easter ferry passengers

The ferry operator said the figure proved people were heeding government advice.

Caledonian MacBrayne said its passenger numbers this Easter weekend have plummeted, after the government urged the public not to travel.

The ferry operator said just 163 passengers traveled on its ferries on Easter Sunday this year, compared with 21,570 on the same day in 2019.

The figure constitutes a 99.2 per cent fall in journeys.

CalMac has seen a huge reduction in passengers over Easter.

Over the whole of the Easter weekend, from Friday 10 April to Monday 13 April, fewer than 2000 people made ferry journeys on CalMac’s 28 routes.

Last year the figure for the same weekend was 112,000.

The company, which operates ferry services to islands on Scotland’s West coast, said it was proof that the ‘stay at home’ message from the government was working.

CalMac's Director of Operations, Robert Morrison, said: 'There had been concerns that the good weather over the holiday weekend would encourage people to try and access the islands but thankfully the guidance not to travel unless absolutely necessary seems to have been accepted.

'Reports from ports over the weekend showed that that no vehicles were stopped from boarding.

“This combined with the extremely low passenger number tells us people are listening to government guidelines to stay at home.

'We are only carrying lifeline supplies and essential workers needed to keep island economies running and communities safe,' added Robert.

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