From 23 June, young people aged 19-21 who live on Scottish islands will be eligible
for concessionary ferry vouchers for travel between their home island and the Scottish
mainland.
The scheme which applies to CalMac and Northlink sailing currently supports young
people aged 16-18 and full-time volunteers up to 25.
Now all youths under 22 will soon be eligible.
The voucher scheme provides four single (or two return) free ferry trips each year to eligible island residents in the Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland, the islands in North Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute and Highland Council areas.
The scheme’s expansion follows the introduction of free inter-island ferry travel
for all island residents under the age of 22 within Orkney, Shetland and the Outer
Hebrides.
Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said:“I welcome the extension of concessionary ferry travel vouchers which will support even more young people to sustainably access work, connect with family and friends, and experience new opportunities which they may otherwise not have access to.
“This government is committed to growing the economy and supporting all our young people with the very best chance to succeed in life.
“We know bus, ferry and rail services provide vital connectivity to employment, education and training opportunities, and the offer of concessionary and discounted journeys makes it more affordable to access these important opportunities.
“We are doing all we can to ensure young people growing up on our islands can access similar opportunities to their peers on mainland Scotland.
“I recognise that many will want us to offer more free ferry travel to and from the mainland and we will keep that under review, but this latest concession is additional to the free bus travel that many young island residents also benefit from.”
Free CalMac ferry mainland travel voucher scheme extended to 19 to 21-
15 April 2025
