“Islanders deserve a bus fare cap for boats” – George 

Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for West Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, has called for a bus fare cap for residents on the Isles of Scilly. Though he welcomed the Government’s decision to restore the £2 bus fare cap, he has urged the Transport Secretary to tackle the “long-standing injustice” on the Isles of Scilly. 

For residents of St Martin’s, St Agnes, Bryher and Tresco, inter-island boat services are the local bus service. Islanders depend on these routes to access essential services on St Mary’s. 

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP, Mr George urged the Government to consider these small and isolated communities as part of its focus on tackling the cost of living crisis. 

Mr George has long campaigned alongside residents and the Council of the Isles of Scilly for fairer support for inter-island transport, arguing that the boats perform the same function as local bus services on the mainland. 

Among the examples raised were reports of residents facing return travel costs of up to £160 for medical and dental appointments, while one resident reportedly missed an NHS X-ray appointment because the cost of travel was unaffordable. The MP also highlighted concerns about social isolation, barriers to employment, and difficulties accessing childcare and community services. 

Andrew said:  

“This is a shocking injustice. Scillonian residents are treated as second-class citizens when it comes to affordable transport when compared to everywhere else in the United Kingdom. 

“It’s unfair to exclude islanders should not continue to be excluded simply because their “bus” happens to travel on water.”