B.C. Ferries to hike fares by up to 25 per cent

[Sportsdude]

bummer.
The head of British Columbia Ferry Services is predicting that fares could rise by up to 25 per cent on some routes over the next five years.
President and CEO David Hahn said Friday that the increase will be driven by the need for new ships and rising fuel costs.[/p]  Fares on major routes are expected to rise by between 15 and 18 per cent by 2013, and at least 25 per cent on minor routes, Hahn said.[/p]  The company's fuel bill in 2002 was about $45 million, but it will be more than $90 million next year, he said.[/p]  Three new super ferries being built in Germany are much more fuel-efficient than the vessels they'll replace, saving about seven million litres of fuel a year, Hahn said.[/p]  The new ships will cost $542 million, with the first, the Coastal Renaissance, arriving this fall and going into service early next year.[/p]  B.C. Ferries is also having the German shipyard build a replacement for the Queen of the North, which hit an island and sank in March 2006. Two people died.[/p]

[/p]Full Story:[/p][a href="http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/14092007/3/canada-b-c-ferries-hike-fares-25-cent.html"]http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/14092007/3/canada-b-c-ferries-hike-fares-25-cent.html[/a]
[/p]
 

[Russ]

Its to be expected to be honest. Rising fuel costs, replacement of old tonnage, and also the rising cost of increasing qualified personal which they are already have trouble attracting due to the already low wages. ie, officers on the deck and in the engine room.

  Besides.. 25% rise of cost on minor routes.. thats like on the queen of the north routes as well as the ones to the queen charlottes and powell river.

[P.C.]

I still think Island residents should have the option of a pass book with substantially cut rates.

[Russ]

Uh.. why should Island residents get it any different than the rest of us?

  If you live on somewheres like Gabriola and commute every day then yes I can see that. But on the island? I dont think thats right or fair.

[P.C.]

Well, I think that because I pay the same highway taxes as everyone else in B.C., and yet have access to only a tiny percentage of them.  The ferries are our highway that links us to the rest of our province.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

[Russ]

good story.. stick to it!

  I have to agree with you on the highways.. that new island highway they did is a joke. theres no overpasses and its like another bumper to bumper street in nanaimo around rush hour. What a billion dollar boondoggle.

[P.C.]

Well, I remember the days before it went in.....and I'll tell ya......even if it's a screw-up, it beats sitting in a line-up for 8 hours when there was an accident.  There were no alternate roots, so you just had to wait it out.  This would happen at least half a dozen times every summer and a few throughout the rest of the year.

  And I'm not exaggerating.  We've sat in line for 8 hours numerous times.

[Russ]

oh I agree... it was still a disappointment though with how they did it.

  It IS an improvement.. I do remember how it used to be.

  EDIT: gotta go, laptop batteries beeping. TTYL

[P.C.]

Take care Russ......MISS YOU !!!!!

[P.C.]

It was nice seeing you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/a194.gif" border=0]

[Lise]

Boy, why am I not surprise? They're going to keep raising the rates higher and higher. This is not the end.....

  I miss Russ too! Can't wait till he pops back into civilization.

[Russ]

Hullo Miss Lise.. I do agree, it will keep rising.. butthen again so will everything else.. except for everyones pay.

  End of Oct.. thats what I keep reminding myself.

[Sportsdude]

on the ferry yesterday I was talking about the rate hike while watching the ramp lowered down onto the ferry. Oops the operator missed where she was suppose to go and smashed the guard rails on the boat. I think the rate hikes aren't going to gas etc. but BC Ferries own mistakes (the horseshoe bay crash, queen of the north, and simple things like yesterday.)

P.C. your idea would work great, one problem though, BC Ferries isn't owned by the people of British Columbia anymore they were privatized by the current government. So any costs now come from people who use the ferries which of course is the islanders.
 

[P.C.]

P.C. your idea would work great, one problem though, BC Ferries isn't owned by the people of British Columbia anymore they were privatized by the current government. So any costs now come from people who use the ferries which of course is the islanders.


That's true.  Good point.   But there's nothing wrong with good marketing stratagies....and Island residents have been clamouring for decades about this.  I know for me (and thousands of others), that I would use the ferries 5 times more than I do if the rates weren't so high.  Last trip over was $187.00 return (including reservations)  I'm sorry, but that's insane.

[Michel]