Take your card when you travel

Orkney Islands Council’s Transportation Service is reminding members of the public who access travel concessions (elderly and disabled) to make sure they carry their National Entitlement Card when they travel (also commonly known as ‘free bus pass’ or ‘Saltire card’) following following some changes to paper ferry vouchers issued by Transport Scotland for the year ahead.

The four paper printed ferry vouchers from Transport Scotland (for use on ferries to and from mainland Scotland or Shetland) no longer display the ‘C+’ and the ‘Visual’ symbols for disabled passengers - but the Council’s Transportation Service is reassuring people with those entitlements that these are still in place, including companion entitlement – but people must carry their NEC card when travelling.

The vouchers must be presented to the ferry operators in conjunction with their National Entitlement Card to prove entitlement.

Laura Cromarty, OIC Transportation Manager, said: “National Entitlement Cards are the primary source of validation for operators. We are aware of some confusion in relation to the new paper ferry vouchers being issued by Transport Scotland right now, so our advice to anyone wanting to use their travel concessions would be to always travel with your National Entitlement Card and ferry vouchers, otherwise you may be charged for your travel.

“We’d also remind all NEC cardholders who have recently moved house to make sure their address is correct - as approximately 80-100 ferry vouchers are returned undelivered each year. The Transportation Service need to be informed directly as personal information cannot be shared between Council service areas.

Passengers are advised the new paper ferry vouchers are being issued in batches numerically, from Transport Scotland in Glasgow, and should be with valid card holders by mid-March. The four ferry vouchers are for use from the 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2023. The new look vouchers feature a QR code (replacing the C+ and visual symbols) for future use by Transport Scotland.

Passengers who need to update their NEC cards can contact the Council on 01856 873535 or e-mail:

• Elderly & Disabled: transport@orkney.gov.uk
• Young Scot: young.scot@orkney.gov.uk