Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart responds to Transport Scotland’s Northern Isles Ferry Service consultation calling for NorthLink improvements
Beatrice Wishart has demanded the new NorthLink Ferries contract lives up to the true ideals of a “lifeline” ferry service.
The Shetland MSP has submitted a 3,500-word response to the Scottish governments Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 (NIS4) contract consultation - calling for improvements to benefit islanders.
Ms Wishart concludes the submission by saying the new contact must recognise what is meant by a “lifeline” service and provide what passengers, businesses and hauliers need to enable the viability of living in Shetland.
Key demands include:
Changing the booking system to allow rolling bookings with no cut-offs, as is currently the situation.
The return of shared cabins and the reinstatement of concession voucher value for use of a berth in a cabin.
Removal of seasonal fares for islanders and retained cabin spaces for last-minute islander travel.
More spaces to lie flat on the overnight crossing in contrast to pods and pod lounges.
In the response, Ms Wishart highlights the ferries survey she carried out in 2023, which received around 1,000 responses and demonstrated widespread concerns with the service.
One response alleged that a woman awoke in the middle of the night to find a man standing over her teenage daughter in a NorthLink pod lounge gesturing that he wanted to shoot her.
Others highlighted issues with capacity, costs and the “cliff edge” bookings.
Ms Wishart said: "It is a continual source of frustration that under this SNP government, passengers feel like they are fighting for scraps.
“It has been a mammoth effort to try to bring together all of the points and issues that passengers and businesses have raised with me.
“While acknowledging the co-operation of staff at NorthLink, there are plenty of changes they would like to see for the new contract.
“Problems with the booking system, a lack of capacity and islanders paying seasonal fares are not new issues.
“They are things that my party and I have been raising with for years and ones that Transport Scotland and the SNP government have chosen to ignore.
“Over the past few years I have raised issues with the ferry services with the Scottish government countless times.
“Responses from the Scottish government on these important services have been intransigent and are often kicked down the road, with the explanation that a review of some kind will resolve the issue.
“Reviews have come and gone with little to no change.
"Now the Scottish government must listen to the outcome of this consultation process and finally make changes.
“A fresh contract is a good time to set out a new understanding with islanders’ needs at the heart of the service.”
The SNP’s Holyrood election candidate for the Shetland seat, Hannah Mary Goodlad, has also been pushing for service improvements, and will be leading a motion on such measures at the party’s conference on Monday.
Responding to Ms Wishart’s submission, she said: “I would like to thank Beatrice Wishart for supporting my campaign to get a cabin and vehicle quota for islanders and to scrap peak pricing for locals.
“Cross party collaboration is always welcome, and it is the way that we should work in order to support those we represent.”
Ms Goodlad said that if her motion was approved at the conference she would work tirelessly to get this implemented as soon as possible.
“It is our lifeline service and, as islanders, we need a far better deal than we have at present in terms of cabin availability and cost,” she added.
“Because no Shetlander should be priced out of visiting their family, travelling for work, or reaching vital healthcare. And no Shetlander should have to sleep on a cold floor to do it.”
“This motion could be the start of many actions needed to make our ‘lifeline service’ worthy of the name.”
Meanwhile, Ms Wishart has also called for an extension to the consultation deadline in recognition of the communication issues posed by Storm Amy and its damage to the Shefa-2 subsea cable.
“It would be hugely unfair if those who wished to have their say were unable due to internet disruption outwith their control,” she said.
“I would urge anyone interested to take part in this important consultation. I fear the Scottish Government will use a lack of engagement as an excuse not to implement the changes on the service passengers have been crying out for.”
Visit Transport Scotland to respond to the consultation.