Prices for Western and Argyll ferry routes: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/01977
Date received: 29 August 2017
Date responded: 25 September 2017

Information requested

1. What would be the RET fare for a car (excluding driver)on Western Ferries.
2. What would be the RET fare for an adult passenger on Western Ferries.
3. What would be the RET fare for a child passenger on Western Ferries.
4. What would be the RET fare for an adult passenger on Argyll Ferries.
5. What would be the RET fare for a child passenger on Argyll Ferries.
6. What would be the RET fare for a car (excluding driver) be on the Dunoon - Gourock crossing were a vehicle service still to operate.
7. To what extent has RET stimulated ferry usage on the routes upon which it has been applied since its introduction.
8. Please state the lengths of the Western Ferries and Argyll Ferries Routes.
9. Please state the formula used to calculate RET on a route.
10. When were the parameters in RET formula last revised.
11. When are the parameters in the RET formula next due for revision.

(RET = Road Equivalent Tariff)

Response

1-5 & 8. The table below provides notional unrounded RET single fares for the current Western Ferries and Argyll Ferries Ltd routes:

RET 17/18	Route Distance	Car	Adult Passenger	Child Passenger
Argyll Ferries	4.3	£8.80	£2.67	£1.33
Western Ferries	2.5	£7.30	£2.42	£1.21

7. Information regarding the extent of RET usage since its introduction on routes across the network is available on Transport Scotland's website under 'RET Evaluation'.

9. The current RET formula consists of a fixed element of £5 plus £0.80 per mile for cars and a fixed element of £2 plus £0.13 per mile for passengers.

10. The RET formula was applied to all RET routes in 2013/14. In 2014/15 RET fares were uprated by 2.7% and in 2015/16 by 1.5% in line with the Consumer Price Index. Ferry fares have been frozen for 2016/17 and 2017/18. The parameters for RET were last calculated in 2013.

11. RET is reviewed on an Annual basis and currently there are no plans to revise the RET formula.

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