A member of the Route 3 ferry advisory committee (FAC) is calling the April traffic figures for BC Ferries "a real disaster."
In his monthly report, former FAC chair Jakob Knaus said the April numbers for all routes have "dived" compared to last year, with vehicles down by 4.1 per cent and passengers down by 7.1 per cent.
For Route 3 (Horseshoe Bay to Langdale) the rate of decline was even worse, with vehicles down by 5.5 per cent and passengers by 7.7 per cent.
"It may be that our 40 per cent higher fares (on a mile travelled basis) compared with other major routes might be responsible for these aggravated declines," Knaus said.
Knaus noted that during the last few months there was a sense that monthly traffic figures were nearing a bottom, with discretionary travel at a "realistic low."
The April numbers suggest otherwise, he said.
"If this trend continues during the coming months, the four per cent annual fare increase will not be sufficient to make up the lost income caused by lower traffic and BC Ferries might continue to slide into a precarious financial situation."
On April 1, BC Ferries raised fares for all routes by 4.1 per cent, increasing the cost for adult passengers on Route 3 by 55 cents and for passenger vehicles by $1.95, for a combined total fare of $63.60. The increase was the first of a three-year, 12 per cent fare hike.
The previous month, the provincial government released its coastal ferries consultation and engagement report, which identified high fares as the public's top concern.
In April, BC Ferries announced that service cuts, originally slated to begin June 30, would be delayed until March 2014, and that the amount to be saved by 2016 had dropped from $26 million to $19 million.
In his report, Knaus said the FACs are waiting to learn the policies of the newly re-elected provincial government.
For Route 3, he said, the hope is to have fares brought in line with other routes and to have travel concessions extended to young people on the Coast that are available to other ferry-dependent communities.
