The Shetland Islands are the most northerly local authority area in the UK and are situated 340km north of Aberdeen and 360km west of Bergen.  Comprised of more than 100 islands, 15 of which are inhabited, Shetland has an area of 1468km2 and a coastline of 2702km.

The total population is approximately 22,000, of which approaching 8,000 live in Lerwick, the main town.

The key sectors of the Shetland economy include fisheries, the North Sea oil industry, agriculture, knitwear and tourism.

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Shetland’s internal transport system is made up of inter-island air services, inter-island ferry services and a network of buses and other vehicles providing more traditional forms of public transport. The Shetland Islands Council operates a fleet of 12 ferries providing lifeline services between the mainland and the islands. The services run from 14 terminals serving eight islands with a total population of just under 3,500 people. Seven ro-ro vessels operate the services to the islands of Yell, Unst and Fetlar, Whalsay and Bressay. Two ro-ro ferries are kept as spares for overhaul and breakdown relief duties. A ro-ro service is also in place for Papa Stour. Freight and limited passenger services operate to Skerries and Fair Isle. The ships make over 70,000 crossings each year and carry over 750,000 passengers and 350,000 vehicles. Atlantic Ferries Ltd operates the ferry service to Foula. The inter-island air services are currently provided y Directflight Ltd, from a base at Tingwall airport. Scheduled flights operate to Foula, Fair Isle, Skerries and Papa Stour. The service is provided by two eight seater Islander aircraft. ZetTrans, Shetland’s Regional Transport Partnership, provides, through contracts with local operators, all bus services in Shetland. There are no commercially operated services. Services generally provide for transport to and from Lerwick for the working population, weekday shopper services and public transport connections to each mainland inter-island ferry terminal, Tingwall airport and to external transport links. In total there are 23 routes and 30 shopper services. Shetland’s external transport links include a daily connection to Aberdeen by sea and a daily air service to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow. Northlink Ferries operates the daily ferry service to Aberdeen for foot passengers and freight with one 12 hour overnight journey each day. Cabin accommodation is available. Flybe, operated by Loganair, provides the daily air connection to the aforementioned Scottish cities, with journey times varying between 50 and 90 minutes. There is also a summer service to Bergen, which is operated on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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Shetland Islands Council supports a number of local transport initiatives including a car share scheme, the provision and circulation of walking information for staff, reducing the need for transport through remote working and video conferencing and promoting information to encourage tourists to walk or cycle around the isles.

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