Ferry cost to Arran cut using road equivalent tariff scheme

The cost of passenger only return fares on the Arran ferry has been reduced by £4

The cost of ferry travel to the Isle of Arran has been cut substantially with the introduction of a government-backed scheme to reduce fares.

The road equivalent tariff (RET) allows fares to be realigned with the equivalent cost of travelling by road.

From Monday, the cost of a return car journey from Brodick in Arran to Ardrossan in North Ayrshire will be £29.70 - down from £70.

Passenger-only return journeys will cost £7.30 - a saving of £4.

Kenneth Gibson, the SNP MSP for Cunningham North, which includes Arran and Ardrossan, said the introduction of RET was "great news for tourists and for islanders".

He said: "Arran is a spectacular destination and I have every confidence that the roll-out of the ferry RET will help make life easier for islanders - many of whom travel back and forth to the mainland on a regular basis - and make the island less expensive and therefore even more appealing and accessible to tourists than it is already."

Arran is served by ferry from Ardrossan or Claonaig in Kintyre, Argyll and Bute.