Month: September 2007

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Ferry fare hikes understated: some over 100%

27 SEPTEMBER 2007 – Recent reports of ferry fare increases understate the actual impact on riders. When increases are applied to actual routes, fares will jump as high as 120% from the time the government restructured BC Ferries in 2003.

A range of figures has been reported recently. These are increases to fare caps, which apply to entire Route Groups. When the fare cap figures are applied to actual routes and current pre-paid ticket fares – the tickets used by the majority of coastal residents – the numbers show dramatically larger increases.

As an example, a parent and two children travelling from Alert Bay to Port Hardy for swimming lessons will pay 97% more in ferry costs in 2011, than they did in 2003.
• $15.52 in April 2003
• $22.90 currrently
• $30.60 in April 2011.

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Higher-than-predicted ferry fares, no end in sight

20 SEPTEMBER 2007 –  Final fare figures from the BC Ferry Commission, released Tuesday, exceed preliminary figures released in March. Yet, representatives of ferry-dependent communities predict that even higher fares are likely.

Fare increases in the next four years will be determined by a formula, tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). If the CPI remains at current levels, fares on smaller routes face the following increases:

• 4.4% in November ’07 (announced previously)
• 4% in April ’08 (up by 0.4% from preliminary figures released in March)
• 7.2% each year for three following years – if the CPI remains unchanged
(up by 0.5% per year from preliminary figures released in March.)

These latest make a total of 12 fare hikes since the restructured ferry system took effect in 2003, with a cumulative fare increase of 90%. The most likely factors to drive fares past that point will be rising fuel prices and the instability of the CPI.

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Ferry fares to increase by more than 30%

16 SEPTEMBER 2007 – Recent reports of 25% hikes in BC Ferries’ fares are not the total picture of increases to come, according to representatives for ferry users.

Figures from BC Ferries President and CEO David Hahn don’t include increases set for November. Nor do they reflect the latest cost of fuel, and projections for future fuel costs.

The Ferry Advisory Committee Chairs (FACC), who head 12 groups that provide public input into service for ferry-dependent communities, note that when all the factors are considered, ferry users face an average increase of at least 30%. They expect the hikes will be even higher, as a result of the inflation multiplier in the new fare formula.

With unprecedented increases in recent years, users of routes to ferry-dependent communities will be paying fare hikes of more than 80% from 2003 to 2011 fares.

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