widget/exchange-29
widget/exchange-30widget/exchange-33
widget/exchange-31

Transport / Community council backs call for ferries to be included in free bus travel plan

The council ferry Leirna heading to Bressay. Photo: Shetland News

LERWICK Community Council has added to calls to extend plans for free bus travel for people under 22 to ferries.

Gary Robinson said at a meeting of the community council on Monday that someone could in theory travel by bus for free across Scotland from Dumfries to Thurso – but they could not if they lived in Shetland.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on plans to offer free bus travel for anyone aged under 22.

There have been repeated calls for the scheme to also cover ferries, which for people living on islands is in effect their bus.

Councillor Stephen Leask said he felt “it would need to be in some ways island proofed”.

Robinson added: “I think they really have to look at how this impacts on island communities.”

He said if the scheme intends to allow free bus travel across the whole of Scotland, people living on islands have a “massive barrier”.

offset-carousel/post-mobile/0

Robinson added that he felt an equalities impact assessment, and an islands impact assessment, could potentially cover the concerns.

Lerwick Community Council agreed to raise its thoughts, which included both internal and external ferries, in response to the consultation.

The issue was also raised at a meeting of Shetland Islands Council’s environment and transport committee last week, where members were told that council officials were on the same page.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
widget/pd_widget-6widget/pd_widget-7widget/exchange-53widget/exchange-54widget/pd_widget-8widget/exchange-55widget/pd_widget-9widget/exchange-56

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.