Petition for cheaper ferry fares gathers momentum

Over 1,000 people in Orkney have signed a petition for cheaper ferry fares on routes serving Orkney.

The petition, which calls on the Scottish Government to extend its cheaper ferry fares scheme to routes between Orkney and the Scottish mainland, was launched by Orkney Liberal Democrat candidate Liam McArthur.

In the last week, the petition passed the 1,000 signature mark, with supporters signing up from across Orkney.

Mr McArthur has said that this wave of local support for his petition confirms the “immense frustration and anger” at Orkney’s exclusion from the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) scheme.

The Scottish Government currently subsidises routes on Scotland’s West Coast through RET, which has cut average fares by 44 per cent for passengers and 55 per cent for cars.

Routes to Orkney and Shetland do not get RET and investment in Northern Isles ferry services forecast to drop by £5.2million between 2013-2016, according to figures published by the Scottish Government in response to parliamentary questions.

Commenting, Liam McArthur said: “That is no doubt why over 1,000 people in Orkney have demonstrated that they believe, like me, that the exclusion of Orkney from cheaper ferry fare funding is unjustified and unfair.

He added that while tens of millions of pounds of public money have been spent cutting fares on West Coast routes, Orkney has been let down by the Scottish Government over the last 9 years.

He said: “It is not acceptable for any government of any political persuasion to pick and choose which islands to support and which to ignore.

“My petition shows the strength of feeling locally on this issue. Their views cannot continue to be ignored.  Rather than vague promises about consultation, we need urgent action on cheaper ferry fares.”
The petition can be accessed here.