– For our part, we save several hundred thousand kroner by not having to pay for shipping goods and services by car on the ferry, says Ole Olsen, who is the day-to-day manager of the window and door manufacturer Meling on the island of Kvitsøy in Rogaland. This has been the case since September this year, but in December the county council decided that cars and lorries must still pay. If not, it would affect the speedboat routes in the county. Olsen is also the leader of the action group No to the removal of free ferries. He is suitably irritated by what he now learns: The latest figures from the economy in Rogaland County Municipality point to a surplus for 2023 of NOK 283 million. In 2022 the surplus was NOK 884 million and in 2021 NOK 671 million. – It shows that there is room for action in Rogaland County Municipality. There is no difference between re-introducing payment for cars on the ferries or closing down fast ferry routes, says Olsen. – This is more about politics than economics. Rogaland County Council will remove the free ferry and still retain the support. Is it actually okay? Yes, says an expert in this matter. The county can’t afford it – We have a local self-government that has found a good solution so that we can also maintain important boat routes for the inhabitants of the whole of Rogaland, says group leader Erlend Jordal from the Høgre party. Erlend Jordal is group leader for Høgre in county politics in Rogaland. Photo: Høyre Together with KrF, Venstre and Frp make up Høyre’s majority in the county. It will cost the county council NOK 15 million a year to continue with the free scheme for cars on the ferries. This is in addition to the transfers from the state of NOK 40 million. The surplus in the county will probably be close to 300 million this year, but Jordal is not swayed. – This is money set aside to pay for investments in 2024. That money is not fresh contributions that we can dispose of, he states. Most of the cars are private, but business is also clearly present on the Kvitsøy ferry, on a Monday morning. Photo: Ingvald Nordmark / news The county council may lose state subsidies But whether the county council will save money by charging the ferry drivers is now more doubtful than before. Local government minister Erling Sande (Sp) Photo: Nadir Mohammad Alam / news Local government minister Erling Sande has made it clear that Rogaland county council will not be allowed to keep the funds the state has transferred to the county to make the ferry routes free. It is expressly stated in a letter that he has sent to the county mayor. County mayor Ole Ueland (H) believes for his part that this is money that the county can manage itself. – It is an attack on self-government and local democracy if the government withdraws this money, he says. It is about thousands of kroner In 2022, the Kvitsøy ferry had almost 95,000 passenger cars. Among those who use the ferry diligently is Roar Bjelland Nielsen. He has really noticed it positively on his wallet, what happened in September last year. Roar Bjelland Nielsen saves thousands of kroner a month on the free scheme. Photo: Ingvald Nordmark / news – My wife and I each had our own ferry ticket for a car. For our part, it has become NOK 6,000 less to pay per month, he says. With a wife who works on the mainland and a son who plays football in a Stavanger club, there will be a lot of traveling back and forth. Several people stopped by Lill Dybdal on the Kvitsøy ferry on their way to the mainland. She will hand over her dog Gizmo, before she and her husband go on holiday in the south. Lill Dybdal believes that the most important thing about a free car ticket is that it is easier to keep in touch with friends and family. Photo: Ingvald Nordmark / news – We get more visitors after it became free to take the car on the ferry. It’s easier for people to visit when they don’t have to shell out several hundred kroner for a casual visit, says Dybdal. Free ferry increases surplus Ole Olsen stands next to a new machine they have bought, inside the woodwork factory. It cost a lot of money. There will also be reintroduction of ferry payment for cars, from 1 May. Ole Olsen is the owner and manager of the Meling timber factory on Kvitsøy Photo: Ingvald Nordmark / news – For those of us who live on an island, transport is a big expense. When we can drive for free on the ferry with lorries and lorries, it means higher profits in the company, he says.
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The county municipality will charge for cars on ferries despite a surplus of nearly 300 million – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
