RET bombshell

It has been the SNP’s constant position that if Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) were applied to the northern isles, ferry fares would increase.

This is completely at odds with a report commissioned by the SNP and published in 2011.

It unequivocally shows that – in fact – fares would fall significantly:
• Passenger fares from Aberdeen to Lerwick would fall by 19 per cent;
• Passenger fares from Kirkwall to Lerwick would fall by 16.5 per cent;
• Passenger fares from Stromness to Scrabster would fall by 65.7 per cent !!!
• Car fares from Stromness to Scrabster would fall by 47.1 per cent!!!
• Commercial vehicles from Stromness to Scrabster would fall by 62.5 per cent!!!!

I furnished all the local press outlets with this bombshell but they decided not to feature it after hearing from the SNP that they had changed the formula used to calculate RET.

To be clear, the original SNP formula to calculate RET gave the islands a huge fall in ferry fares … so the SNP changed the formula so that it didn’t.

The full report can be found here: www.gov.scot/resource/doc/935/0115577.doc

Do you ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?

Robert Smith
UKIP candidate for Orkney & Shetland

Note from Shetland News: The reality is more complicated. The RET formula used in the report dates back to 2008 and has been updated several times since then. The figures for the Shetland routes also do not incorporate the cost for a cabin which would wipe out the RET price advantage for passengers.

All this data is currently being fed into the discussions which will form the basis for the new northern isles lifeline ferry contract.

Orkney is disadvantaged by not having RET applied on its routes, however there is a privately operated ferry service that offers cheaper journeys across the Pentland Firth.