From June 23 this year young people aged 19-21 who live in Orkney will be eligible for concessionary ferry vouchers for travel to the Scottish mainland.
The current scheme supports young people aged 16-18 and full-time volunteers up to age 25. The extension will see even more young people eligible for four single (or two return) free ferry trips each year.
Earlier this year free interisland ferry transport was made available to young people in the islands up to the age of 22.
The free inter-island travel for under 22s applies to foot passenger fares on the inter-island ferry services within the Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides island groups, operated by Orkney Ferries, Shetland Islands Council and CalMac respectively.
For more detail on how to apply for a Young Scot Card or National Entitlement Card, please visit www.getyournec.scot or alternatively contact your local Council for assistance.
The extension will enable more “young people to sustainably access work, connect with family and friends, and experience new opportunities which they may otherwise not have access to,” commented Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport in the Scottish Government.
Concessionary ferry vouchers are already available to eligible Orkney residents for four single (or two return) free ferry trips between Orkney and the Scottish mainland. They are valid from 1 April to 31 March the following year for travel as a foot passenger or to help pay for a cabin.
When islanders apply for their National Entitlement Card (NEC), aka saltirecard or bus pass, they also automatically receive ferry vouchers.
The digital vouchers are stored on the National Entitlement Card and are downloaded each year.
The Young Person’s Free Ferry Voucher Scheme provides four single (or two return) free ferry trips each year to eligible island residents in Orkney, Shetland, the Outer Hebrides, islands in North Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute and Highland Council areas.
Fiona Grahame
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