'Island ferry problems meant my child could not travel'

A mother-of-four says she was forced to travel without all of her children on an island ferry because of reduced passenger numbers.

Carol-Anne Galbraith, 33, from Barra, needed to get her son Kieran, five, from the Hebridean island to a hospital appointment in Glasgow.

Barra's usual ferry, which carries 600 people, has been replaced with a vessel that is running under a restricted capacity of 45 people.

Her eight-year-old son, Christopher, instead made the journey by plane with his grandmother - which the family said brought additional expense.

Single mum Carol-Anne wanted to take all her children on the trip during the Easter holidays because of limited childcare options on the island.

Ferry operator CalMac said an alternative route had been offered to allow all the children - who were not originally booked - to make the trip to the mainland.

But Carol-Anne said this would have involved a 350-mile journey by car, two ferries and taken at least 12 hours.

Barra's usual 600-passenger ferry, MV Isle of Lewis, has been out of action for two months due to an engine fault.

The replacement ferry, MV Isle of Mull, can carry 962 people.

But this has been reduced to a just 45 passengers due to a broken emergency escape system.

The route connecting Castlebay, Barra, with Oban on the Argyll coast is the longest in CalMac's west coast network.

Kieran has eczema and requires monthly visits to a hospital consultant in Glasgow.

Carol-Anne said that being unable to rely on the ferry service was "stressful and upsetting".

She said: "Originally it was me and Kieran who were booked, but our plans changed so I went to book the other three children.

"Due to the reduced capacity I couldn't get them on.

"You feel guilty as a mum because you feel you have failed and not been able to take your children away."

With help from local CalMac staff, Ms Galbraith was able to get Daniel, six, and Charlotte, 11, on the ferry while Christopher travelled by plane.

Brian Currie, of Barra Transport Committee - which campaigns for connectivity improvements - accused CalMac of not meeting contractual obligations.

He said: "I think over the last two months CalMac has failed to provide lifeline services to the island.

"Services are paid for but are not being delivered."

Residents in the Western Isles have raised concerns about the reliability of services over several years.

In 2023, hundreds marched through Glasgow to protest against the disruption of South Uist's ferry service.

Islanders said they were left "beyond crisis" after CalMac cut sailings from Lochboisdale to Mallaig on the mainland during June.

CalMac said it had been in contact with Carol-Anne about travel arrangements

A spokesperson said: "We were able to get another space for Carol-Anne to go to the hospital appointment and she travelled with three of her four children.

"There was no risk of the hospital appointment being missed as we always had mother and child booked on the sailing.

"All alternatives offered were to allow additional children who had not originally been booked on."

Transport Scotland said that under its contract with CalMac it expected essential services to be delivered.

A spokesperson said: "We recognise the impact that delays and disruption have regrettably had on our island communities and we are committed to investing in our ferry services.

"In the coming year, we will invest over £530m maintaining and enhancing our networks and strengthening resilience of services on the west coast and northern isles."

MV Isle of Lewis is due to be back in service in time for the family's return journey.