Western Isles MSP, Alasdair Allan, has today welcomed indications that the Scottish Government may extend the current “five metre rule” for commercial vehicles on Calmac to cover vans up to six metres in length from October 2013.
Alasdair Allan commented:
“Many businesses in the islands point out that it is increasingly difficult to buy a new van under five metres in length. Many vans even a few centimetres over this length therefore incur higher ferry fares. This is a subject I have taken up with Calmac in the past.
“I am therefore pleased to see that the Scottish Government’s Ferries Review says that the Government will look seriously at increasing the five metre rule to six metres, as is already the case in Orkney and Shetland.
“The opportunity to do this would be when the contract for Clyde and Hebridean Ferries is renewed in October 2013 and today is the most positive signal yet that we are making progress with this argument.
“The current rule is many years old and, I believe, past its sell-by date, and I intend keep up the pressure on this issue which is an important one to many small businesses in the islands.”
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