My reply

 
Dear Concessionary Travel and Integrated Ticketing Team,

Thank you for your response on behalf of Fiona Hyslop MSP.

I must express my deep frustration and disappointment at the ongoing inequality in Scotland’s concessionary travel policy. The current arrangement for Orkney residents — just 24 single ferry concessionary tickets per year — is wholly inadequate and fundamentally unjust.

For those of us living on the islands, ferries are not an occasional service or a luxury — they are our only mode of public transport. We rely on them to access vital services such as hospitals, GP appointments, food shopping, and other basic necessities that most people on the mainland can reach by bus. The fact that older residents in mainland Scotland are entitled to unlimited free bus travel, while islanders are restricted by an arbitrary cap on ferry use, sends a clear message: that our needs are secondary.

This two-tier system is unacceptable. It penalises older and vulnerable residents simply for living in a rural island community. If ferry travel is our equivalent of the bus, then we must be treated equally. Anything less is discrimination, plain and simple.

The Scottish Government cannot continue to deflect responsibility by citing the scheme as “discretionary” or devolved to local authorities. You have the power to lead change, to uphold fairness, and to ensure equity across all parts of Scotland — including its islands.

I urge you to take this matter seriously and to commit to working toward a national standard that treats all older Scots with equal respect and dignity, regardless of postcode.

Yours sincerely,
Claire Sparrow