News / Government freezes NorthLink fares
FARES on the NorthLink operated lifeline ferry services will be frozen for a second year as work continues to find a way to “ultimately cut ticket prices”, according to Scottish transport and islands minister Humza Yousaf.
The minister is embarking on a three day visit to the northern isles on Tuesday, which will bring him to Shetland on Wednesday and Thursday.
Ahead of his visit Yousaf announced that NorthLink ferry fares for 2017 would be kept at the current level.
The move was welcomed by Shetland Islands Council, but local MSP Tavish Scott said islanders will be desperately disappointed that promised ferry fare cuts have not been delivered.
“The ferry service to Aberdeen is our lifeline – our motorway to the Scottish mainland.
“More than 3,000 local people have supported a petition that asked the SNP to maintain their election commitment to ferry fare cuts made with great fanfare by Nicola Sturgeon in Lerwick in April. This has now been abandoned,” the MSP said.
Yousaf also confirmed that the SNP government has commissioned a study to look at fares on the northern isles routes with a view to bringing in a new pricing policy and ultimately reducing the cost of ferry travel.
The current lifeline ferry service contract, operated by Serco NorthLink, runs until 2018 with work already under way to draw up the specifications for the next contract.
“We want these vital services to continue to be accessible and affordable, so keeping ticket prices on hold next year will help achieve that,” the minister said.
“We have made a key commitment to cut fares on ferry services to the northern isles and we continue to work towards that goal.
“The northern isles present a number of challenges for a new fares policy. As we have said before, bringing in Road Equivalent Tariff would significantly increase the ticket prices on the majority of services.
“So I will be asking my officials to engage and meet with the local councils, elected members, community groups and other key stakeholders to discuss the potential options available to us.”
Welcoming the minister’s announcement, the SIC political leader Gary Robinson described the freeze on ferry fares as “a worthwhile step in the right direction”.
“We’re pleased to note that the Scottish Government has reiterated its commitment to cutting ticket prices and look forward to seeing this process through.
“A considerable amount of work has already been done by Shetland and Orkney islands councils, the regional transport partnerships and Our Islands Our Future, together with Transport Scotland, to get us to this stage.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those joint efforts and look forward to seeing that positive relationship continue.”
But Scott added: “Islanders will not forget that the SNP cut ferry fares on Scotland’s west coast by 50 per cent. We are all asking why the northern isles are not getting the same.
“I do not find this announcement fair, reasonable or in any way acceptable.”
Yousaf reiterated that the Scottish Government was committed to empowering island communities.
“Last year’s Islands Bill consultation sought views on island-proofing, additional powers for island councils and the introduction of a National Islands Plan, and the views expressed are currently under consideration.
“I anticipate my visit will be a fantastic opportunity for me to hear the many and varied views on the future of our islands,” he said.
While in Shetland, the minister will meet with representatives of the north isles communities of Yell, Unst and Fetlar, while also visiting the construction site of the new Anderson High School and Lerwick Port Authority’s new decommissioning facility at Dales Voe, both in Lerwick.
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