The Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferries are owned and operated by The Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee which is a local government committee formed by five councillors from each of the two local authorities: Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council.
The costs of running the services including the significant capital costs that are incurred from time to time to maintain the infrastructure and to update and replace, as necessary, the ferries have to be covered by the income received from the tolls payable by vehicles using the bridge or ferries. The current toll is £2.60 for a normal motor car, more for vehicles towing trailers and for larger commercial vehicles (see Tamar tolls). The toll is payable for the eastbound crossing only meaning that for most motorists making return trips, the actual cost is £1.30 per crossing. Regular users can take advantage of the Tamar Tag scheme whereby an electronic tag is fitted in the vehicle and this allows the vehicle to cross and a debit is made against the tag holder's account each time an eastbound crossing is made. Tag holders receive a 50% reduction on the standard fee meaning that the driver of a normal motor car pays just £1.30, or 65 pence per crossing. In addition, there is a monthly administration fee of 80 pence to the account holder.
No subsidy is received from either Plymouth City Council or Cornwall Council towards the cost of running the facilities; neither does central government make any contribution (except for a small amount towards the traffic management system that covers the bridge and the Saltash tunnel, the latter being a trunk road).
The latest financial forecasts for the Bridge and Ferries indicate that running costs are exceeding toll income and that the reserves will become depleted within the next year or so. It is necessary to raise the tolls to cover the costs. Raising tolls is always an unpopular thing to do but, if they are not raised, the only other option for the two councils will be to ask their council taxpayers to cover the deficits from council tax meaning that residents in Cornwall and Plymouth who never use the crossings will have to stump up monies, or other council services will have to be downgraded in order to cover the costs.
It should be noted that because of the significant operating costs of the ferries and the smaller volumes of traffic that they handle, the tolls raised from bridge crossings essentially subsidise the ferry operation. If there were no ferries to operate, the bridge toll could be much lower. It should also be noted that pedestrians and cyclists do not pay tolls and that passengers travelling on buses across the bridge or ferries also do not have to pay tolls. A good reason to take the bus!
The joint committee is currently carrying out a public consultation on the proposal to raise tolls. I would encourage residents to consider the matter and to support the raising of the tolls to the levels necessary to maintain these vital transport links. I do not support the charging of a higher toll for ferry crossings than bridge crossings.
More details and a link to the consultation questionnaire can be viewed on Tamar Crossings consultation.