Question reference: S4W-17272
- Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 18 September 2013
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Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 October 2013
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S3W-38767 by Keith Brown on 27 January 2011, whether it will provide an update on the average annual saving for a commuter since the abolition of tolls on the Forth Road Bridge.
Answer
On abolition in February 2008, the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge (FRB) for cars and light goods vehicles were £1.00 per crossing. This was for the north bound crossing only.
This meant an annual cost of tolls of £230 per annum (based on a five day working week over a 46 week working year, assuming six weeks holiday per annum). Frequent user discount vouchers were available on the FRB. If these were used then the reduced rate of £0.90 was applied and the annual cost would have been £207 per annum based on the same conditions above.
Assuming that an increase in tolls would have taken place, uprating the 2008 frequent traveller cost of £207 annually to allow for inflation would mean a bridge toll in 2013 of £233 per annum, the amount a commuter would save in 2013 if tolls had not been abolished. This is an increase of £26 or 12.6% since 2008. This uprated figure is calculated using GDP deflators from the latest National Accounts figures produced by the Office of National Statistics and HM Treasury forecasts.