A campaign by two Arran High School pupils for discounted ferry travel for the island’s young people has brought a result.
Thanks to them, Transport Scotland has acted over the National Entitlement ferry discount scheme, which Liam Turbett and Calum Johnston say has not been implemented despite being in place elsewhere for 16-to-18 year olds.
Until then only a few young people on Arran had received the vouchers.
Transport Scotland said that following further correspondence the problem was now being looked at in greater detail.
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: ‘We were unaware that some people on Arran had not received their ferry vouchers until they were contacted in February.
‘The vouchers should have been issued automatically and action was taken to ensure that those young people who had been specifically identified were issued with vouchers immediately.
‘Transport Scotland has taken this matter up and has been assured that the situation has been rectified in preparation for the re-issue of ferry vouchers in the new financial year.’
Calum and Liam said: ‘Initially, when the original rail and bus cards were issued, we were told that they had been rush-released for political purposes, in order to arrive before the election last May. Ferry vouchers, it was said, would soon follow.
‘This has evidently not been the case and the young people of Arran, and possibly other islands too, are still awaiting promises made to them by the last Holyrood administration - which, we can only hope, are now finally being resolved.’
They said: ‘The programme involved issuing a ‘National Entitlement Card’ to all within this age group, which gave a one-third reduction on the cost of rail and bus travel, along with two free return ferry tickets for island residents.
