Lorries will not be included in the scheme between the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has warned that scrapping the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) for lorries that use ferry services to move goods between the Western Isles of Scotland and the mainland will increase transport costs and stoke inflation in those island communities.

The RET sets ferry fares to the equivalent cost for vehicles travelling the same distance by road and in 2008 a pilot scheme was introduced for the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree.  But from April lorries will not be included in the scheme, which will continue for cars, coaches and small commercial vehicles under 3.5 tonnes.

RET will be replaced by an enhanced discount scheme offering up to 25% discount on ferry fares (up from the pre-RET maximum level of 15%). It is also intended that the new larger commercial vehicle discount scheme be made more inclusive than its predecessor to avoid bias against small to medium volume users. It was intended to implement the scheme by the end of March to coincide with the ending of RET.

www.transportscotland.gov.uk