Annexe C - Themes discussed at engagement events
Scottish Youth Parliament – Online Engagement Event – Themes – 17 January 2023
Cost
Ferries were described as equivalent to bus services for young islanders
Where overnight stays are required due to timetables not aligning with activities, the cost can be prohibitive to participation
Taking a car is expensive
Cannot visit friends who live on islands due to costs
Access to goods and services
Sometimes deliveries of goods cannot be made to island communities
Extra-curricular activities - competitions take place on the mainland so travel is required
Access to health care
Reliability
Age of vessels and unreliability caused by breakdown or maintenance
Cancellations due to weather
Safety
Whether young people, particularly young women, feel safe on public transport
Increased lighting at transport connections
Ferry travel passes
There were calls for free ferry travel for under 22s as with buses
It was noted the benefit of free bus travel did not extend to islanders in the same way as other parts of the country because of a lack of bus service
There were calls for the extension of the existing scheme of offering 2 free returns to young islanders and linking a discount on all journeys to Young Scot cards.