NorthLink fares to soar by 10 per cent

The Hrossey.

Fares on NorthLink ferries will rise by 10 per cent in the New Year.

Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop announced the hike in a letter to Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston.

Mr Halcro Johnston, convener of the Scottish parliament’s cross-party group on islands, has hit out at the move.

He said: “The fare increase announced by the Scottish government in Edinburgh will be a disappointment to many island residents and an extra burden on the already substantial costs of travelling south.

“I am also aware of the frustrations many people still have with some parts of the service – pressure on cabin capacity and the pod lounges to name just two – and I hope real solutions can be found to address these and any other concerns.”

The MSP added: “We are fortunate here in the Northern Isles that Northlink provide a far more reliable service than Scottish Government-owned CalMac do on the West Coast routes.

“And in my experience, and in the experiences of most of those island residents and businesses I speak with, Northlink do engage more proactively and constructively about the services they provide with those local communities they serve.

““However, without significant investment in new replacement vessels – both on the Northern Isles routes and our internal ferries network – that risks changing”.

In her letter to Mr Halcro Johnston, the transport secretary said: “I am writing to inform you that there will be a 10 per cent increase in ferry fares for 2025-26, to be implemented on 1 January 2025 for the Northern Isles network.

“We know that any fares increase is unwelcome, but this is a necessary action to enable
continued investment in new vessels and infrastructure to support the services and ensure
that ferry services remain sustainable and available to our island communities.

“We froze ferry fares for 2023-24 instead of a 9.1 per cent inflationary increase in order to help
people, businesses and communities at the height of the cost of living crisis, and to continue
to recover from the impact of the pandemic.

“However, doing so meant that government effectively bore the loss of revenue in the longer term. In the current fiscal climate that loss, at £10 million a year, is too challenging to continue.

“Reluctantly, we are having to raise ferry fares in the coming year by 10 per cent, bringing fare levels
back to around what they would have been had fares not been frozen in 2023-24.

“This means, in real terms, fares have broadly increased in line with inflation over time. That will
help to partially recover the previous freeze, address some of the significant budget pressures and allow the continued support of the ferries network in future years.

“There have been sustained measures and investment by the Scottish government over time to keep ferry travel as affordable as possible. This increase will bring fares back in line with road equivalent tariff on Clyde and Hebrides services, which we know from the islands connectivity plan (ICP) consultation is something that island residents are keen to retain.

“Islander fares on Northern Isles routes were frozen from 2020 to 2024 along with a 20 per cent
reduction in cabin fares. We are continuing to review future ferry fares policy through the ICP.

“Taking a balanced approach of affordability to both ferry passengers and government is crucial to achieving a sustainable approach to ferry services that supports the future long-term viability of a public transport system that is accessible, available, and affordable for people throughout Scotland.”