CalMac passengers received more than £90,000 in compensation in just three months as new figures reveal the scale of ferry disruption affecting Scotland’s island and coastal communities.

Information obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats shows that between 1 April and 30 June 2026, CalMac paid £90,192 in passenger rights claims, including £61,616 towards alternative transport arrangements.

The amount paid during those three months was almost three times the total compensation paid throughout the previous financial year, highlighting the financial consequences of widespread cancellations and vessel breakdowns.

The figures also reveal that between 1 January 2025 and 30 June 2026, there were just 10 days when every scheduled sailing across the CalMac network operated according to the published timetable.

During 2025, the ferry operator cancelled 15,150 of its 168,220 scheduled services, representing approximately 9% of sailings.

A further 6,636 cancellations were recorded during the first six months of 2026, out of 82,883 scheduled services.

Some routes experienced considerably greater disruption, particularly those serving communities heavily dependent on reliable ferry connections.

The Mallaig to Lochboisdale route recorded 142 cancellations in the first half of 2026, accounting for 58.2% of scheduled sailings, with 95.8% of cancellations attributed to technical problems.

The Ardrossan to Brodick service recorded 559 cancellations, representing 22.7% of scheduled sailings, with technical issues responsible for 80.5% of those cancellations.

Services from Kennacraig to Islay, Colonsay and Oban also suffered disruption, with 39 cancellations representing 24.7% of scheduled sailings and 84.6% attributed to technical reasons.

In its response to the Freedom of Information request, CalMac acknowledged “an unprecedented level of vessel unavailability as a result of planned annual overhauls and emerging technical issues”.

The financial cost of maintaining the fleet has also been substantial.

CalMac spent £58,136,000 on vessel repairs and maintenance during the 2025/26 financial year, with another £7,082,000 spent during the first three months of 2026/27.

Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Willie Rennie said the figures demonstrated the consequences of continued disruption for communities relying on ferries.

“Everyone knows the SNP’s record on ferries is lamentable, but these figures spell out in black and white just how bad the situation really is.

“The first half of this year saw coastal and island communities forced to endure a level of chaos that no public service should ever sink to.

“Passengers are having to file claim after claim to fund their food and travel while they make other plans for often vital journeys.

“From missed schooldays and hospital appointments to serious damage to small businesses, this is a disaster that just keeps going.

“All the while, the SNP have failed to demonstrate contrition for what’s happened to Scotland’s ferries over the last two decades.

“Perhaps these figures will jolt John Swinney and Stephen Flynn into action so we can spare coastal communities this unnecessary suffering.

“What is needed now is to implement the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ plan for a 30-year rolling programme of ferry construction and port infrastructure upgrades.

“It’s only common sense that new ferries have to be built before the old ones develop problems and start breaking down regularly.”

The party wants a long term programme of ferry construction and harbour improvements designed to replace ageing vessels before technical problems undermine services.

For island communities, the consequences of disruption extend beyond compensation payments, affecting access to healthcare, education, employment and the movement of essential goods.

The figures provide further evidence of the difficulties facing Scotland’s ferry network, while raising questions about how quickly fleet investment can deliver the reliability passengers need.