Unplanned and essential travel

When asked what the operator could do to further support those who need to travel urgently, the most frequent suggestions related reserving capacity for emergency travel, either setting aside cabins or vehicle space for emergency use, or reserving capacity for lifeline travel. Shetland residents were more likely to highlight the need to reserve cabins for emergency use while a larger proportion of Orkney residents commented on the importance of vehicle space. There were also calls to ‘prioritise’ travel for islanders or to keep an allocation of cabins or vehicle space for use by local residents.

With respect to how any reserved capacity for urgent travel might be managed suggestions included that criteria for access to reserved space would need to be defined clearly and that the waiting list should prioritise those needing to travel in an emergency ahead of other users.