News / Ferry fares reduction not before 2018
CONSULTANTS employed by the Scottish Government have urged islanders to fill in an online questionnaire to help determine the ferry fare structure on the northern isles lifeline routes as of 2018.
Just 22 people attended a drop-in session at the Shetland Museum and Archive on Monday.
When visiting the northern isles in August this year, Scottish transport minister Humza Yousaf gave a commitment that fares would be reduced significantly.
This follows the introduction of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) on west coast routes which resulted in ferry fares to some Scottish islands being slashed by as much as 40 per cent.
However, due to the distance between Shetland and the Scottish mainland and the need for overnight accommodation, the application of RET would actually increase islander fares, which are discounted by 30 per cent.
The current consultation seeks views on how fares should be set as part of the specifications for the new northern isles ferry contract which is due to be implemented in summer 2018.
Chief economist with Peter Brett Associates, Paul McCartney, said the ferry fares consultation played an “important part” in the overall consultation as it plays a “significant role in setting the specification for the next contract”.
Reducing ferry fares will have an impact on increased capacity demand, timetabling, level of the government’s subsidy payment as well as overall profitability for the next service provider.
McCartney, added: “The minister made a commitment to changing the fares. We now would like to understand from the community how they think the new fare structure should be.
“This is crucial for the next specification. Transport Scotland wants to get this right.
“Please fill in the questionnaire and give us the evidence to help Transport Scotland to inform the next fare structure. The more information we get the better.”
Meanwhile, the Fair Ferry Fares campaign group has submitted a three page long response to the consultation.
Campaigner Ryan Thomson said ferry fares should be reduced now as they were a “significant barrier” to essential personal travel.
“The Fair Ferry Fares campaign has resulted in a petition signed so far by 3,338 people who believe we are currently being treated unfairly in terms of the prices we have to pay for our lifeline link to mainland Scotland.
“This has been talked about long enough, it is about time that something is done.”
Similar drop-in sessions will be held in Kirkwall on Tuesday and in Stromness on Wednesday.
The consultation is open until 14 October. The online questionnaire can be found at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ConsultationtoSettingNIFSFares-October2016
The slides on display at the drop in session can be accessed here.
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