The three year pilot of the Lochboisdale-
They criticised the trial for being run in winter when there is a high probability that services will be cancelled due to bad weather.
There has been a 49% cancellation rate during the first year of the trial, according to the response to a parliamentary question put by Mrs Grant.
So far this year, the 60% of runs have been put off.
The MSP was also advised that there are no plans to extend the trial into summer months and that the winter pilot service will be evaluated over the full three year pilot period before decisions about the way forward are taken.
Mrs Grant was advised that the SNP government has not considered the costs of running a year round service as the trial is still ongoing.
Rhoda Grant queried how a pilot could be accurately evaluated given the number of cancellations that have been experienced.
She said: People can’t depend on the service running and it will therefore be underused.
Labour hopeful, Alasdair Morrison, said: “When it comes to ferry services the Scottish
Government has form -
“Clearly, the pilot was set up with a view that it would fail. This requires serious political intervention.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said many other ferry services were also cancelled during recent bad weather.
He added: "The pilot service will however be evaluated over the full three year pilot period.
“Before decisions are made about the future the pilot will be assessed against agreed
success criteria, which will take into account the severe weather disruptions experienced
and the winter-
Lochboisdale ferry trial is a “sham”
5 February 2015