CalMac hopes for another quiet holiday weekend as May holiday approaches; Caledonian MacBrayne's appeal comes amid continued Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown and recent incidents of people trying to ignore 'essential travel only' rules
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FERRY operator CalMac has urged the public not to be tempted to go island hopping this May holiday weekend, amid reports of people trying to ignore guidance to stay at home.
Caledonian MacBrayne, which operates 28 west coast routes including Ullapool-Stornoway, said it was hoping for a repeat of Easter when passenger numbers were a whopping 95 per cent lower than the same point in 2019.
The company is only accepting freight and passengers making essential journeys in a bid to protect island communities from the virus' spread.
CalMac is continuing its checks on people travelling for non-essential reasons with port staff now asking to see a driver’s licence for proof that they are an island resident, or evidence that they are a key worker, before being allowed to board.
It is reinforcing the government’s stay home, protect the NHS, save lives message after seeing a recent increase in people trying to travel for day trips, particularly on the Clyde.
"The good weather may tempt people to get out and about, but I would urge everyone to continue to follow government guidelines and stay home, Getting a day trip to the beach is not essential travel and we will have no hesitation in refusing to board anyone who does not have a legitimate reason to sail with us," said CalMac's director of operations, Robert Morrison.
CalMac turned away 35 people from Largs, Wemyss Bay and Ardrossan over the last weekend.
"It should not have to be down to staff to ensure people are not travelling. There has to be an element of personal responsibility taken and people really need to be asking themselves is my journey really necessary. If it’s for leisure and recreation the answer is clearly no," added Robert
Passenger and vehicle numbers are currently down 95 per cent across CalMac’s 28 routes, as most people continue to heed official advice.
CalMac's plea for people to stay home comes after it extended its emergency timetables until the middle of May.
