Scottish Islands Data Overview (2025)
The Scottish Islands Data Dashboard has been updated following a review of available data. This report summarises the findings. It highlights changes between data available in 2025 and data first collated in 2023 and gives an overview of longer term trends in Scotland's Islands.
6 Transport
Transport costs are significantly higher for Scottish island residents when compared to urban UK transport costs. The majority of island residents do not think that transport fares are good value for money.
Transport costs are significantly higher for Scottish island residents when compared to urban UK transport costs. Recognising this, Scottish Government provide concessionary ferry vouchers to those who are eligible to help them take journeys to the mainland. For those eligible for the national concessionary travel bus scheme and for ferry vouchers, vouchers are given for four single (or two return) free ferry trips to the Scottish mainland.
| Mainland | Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Family with children, rounded uplift (based on couple with two children) | 15% | 14% |
| Working-age rounded uplift (based on average of single and couple) | 27% | 32% |
| Pensioner rounded uplift (based on average of single and couple) | 22% | 25% |
Island residents generally do not believe that fares for air services are good value for money. For example, 13% of island residents thought that flights to and from the mainland were good value for money for local residents, with 16% saying that inter-island fares were good value for money. A higher proportion of islanders said they thought mainland ferry services were good value for local residents (43%); that inter-island ferry services were good value (45%); and that bus services were good value for local residents (50%).