Northern Isles Ferry Services 4 contract public consultation

Ministerial Foreword

I am pleased to launch this public consultation on the future of the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract (NIFS4). The ferry routes linking Orkney and Shetland with mainland Scotland are essential not only for local communities, but for the wider economic, cultural, and social wellbeing of the Northern Isles.

It is essential that these services are reliable, resilient and delivering to the needs of islanders, businesses and visitors alike and it is vital that we listen carefully to the experiences and expectations of those who use and depend on these services as we develop the next iteration of the NIFS contract. This procurement, alongside the programme proposed for the replacement of the 5 vessels set out in the Islands Connectivity Plan to be delivered within the life of this new contract – will help ensure the services remain fit for the future in relation to reliability, resilience and capacity.

The knowledge gained through our existing relationship with NIFS users and the feedback received from last year’s Islands Connectivity Plan public consultation and engagement will help inform the development of the NIFS4 contract, and has been considered in the development of these consultation questions as we seek further views on how the next contract can be used to drive service improvements.

This public consultation provides an important opportunity for stakeholders – from local authorities, community representatives, and operators, to individual passengers and freight customers – to help us define what the future service should look like. We are particularly keen to hear your views on key areas such as capacity and demand, unplanned and essential travel, fares, community voice, transparency and accountability, connectivity needs, integration with other transport modes, accessibility, reliability and resilience, service levels, environmental sustainability, and freight.

Our aim for NIFS4 is not only to deliver a service that meets current needs but is fit for the future, responsive to the climate challenge, to changing patterns of demand, and to future needs to support the development of the Northern Isles.

It is vital that communities have the opportunity to contribute and help us shape the future of these ferry services, and this public consultation will provide an opportunity for those who have asked for change to directly contribute to the contract development process. I encourage everyone with an interest in these services to contribute their views. Feedback to this consultation will help shape a contract that works for our island communities and ensures that these lifeline connections continue to deliver for years to come.

Jim Fairlie MSP
Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity

Responding to this consultation

This consultation will be open for a period of 12 weeks from 22 July 2025 and until 13 October 2025.  

and we invite you to share your views during this time to actively shape the forward thinking of the Northern Isles Ferry Services Contract.

Respond online

You can respond to this consultation online using our consultation hub, Citizen Space.

Please note that this is a public consultation, and all responses will be made publicly available, although personal details will be kept confidential. Should you wish for your comments not to be made publicly available, please select the appropriate box at the end of the consultation.

Other ways to respond

If you are unable to respond using the Citizen Space hub, you can send your response by email or post:

By email

Please download and complete the Survey Questions and the Respondent Information Form below and email them to FerriesNIFS4Team@transport.gov.scot.

By post

Please download and complete the Survey Questions and the Respondent Information Form below and post your completed forms to:

NIFS4 Consultation
Transport Scotland
5th Floor
177 Bothwell Street
Glasgow
G2 7ER

Consultation Statement

We invite you to share your views during this time to actively shape the forward thinking of the new NIFS4 contract.

Assessing impact

We are committed to assessing the impact of the new NIFS4 contract on ferry-dependent communities and other stakeholder groups across Scotland.

This consultation will support development of the following impact assessments:

• Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA)
• Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA)
• Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA)
• Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA).

We will publish these impact assessments on our website. We would like your views on these. Views can be provided to us by email to FerriesNIFS4Team@transport.gov.scot.

For example, your views will inform us about the likely impact of our policy on advancing equality, eliminating discrimination and fostering good relations for people who share certain protected characteristics.

We will take a robust evidence-based approach to the development of our impact assessments and will work in close consultation with key stakeholders and representatives of groups that are likely to be impacted.

Next steps

Once the NIFS4 consultation period has ended, responses will be reviewed by a specialist independent analysis team and a recommendations report will be provided to Transport Scotland to consider when finalising the terms of the NIFS4 contract.

We value your input and look forward to hearing your views on how we can improve our Northern Isles Ferry Services.

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this important process.

Comments and complaints

If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted please send them directly to FerriesNIFS4Team@transport.gov.scot.

Key Terms

Active Travel

By "active travel" we mean making journeys in physically active ways, like walking, wheeling (using a wheelchair or mobility aid), cycling, or scootering.

Commercial Traffic Volumes

The amount of traffic created by businesses using the services to transport goods.

Dynamic pricing

Price of tickets would be different depending on a number of factors including travel for islanders, travel for business or pleasure, and seasonal fluctuations.

Haulier

Company employed in the transport of goods or materials by road.

NIFS

Northern Isles Ferry Services

Onward & Connecting Travel

Connecting ferry travel with other public transport modes (bus & train).

Operator

By "operator" we mean the company that delivers the ferry services contract.

Road Equivalent Tariff

By "RET" we mean distanced based fare structure applied to ferry travel.