Question reference: S6W-19928
- Date lodged: 12 July 2023
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Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 August 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it will give to extending the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme to include inter-island ferry travel, as reportedly called for in a motion passed by Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament at the July 2023 sitting in Orkney.
Answer
The Scottish Government published an Island Communities Impact Assessment of the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme on 14 December 2021 which concluded that ferry travel should not be included in the scheme, but that issues relating to ferry fares should be considered as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan and the Fair Fares Review, which are underway. The issue of ferry fares for young people is being actively considered as part of this work.
Although the new statutory Young Persons’ Free Bus Scheme is for bus travel only, we are continuing our existing Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme which provides 16-18 year old islanders four free ferry journeys to or from the mainland every year, as well as discounted rail travel.
Additionally, significant fare reductions have been implemented on the Northern Isles and Clyde & Hebrides ferry networks, including a fares freeze until the end of March 2024.