BC Ferries has delayed service cuts for another year, officials from the corporation told the southern Sunshine Coast ferry advisory committee (FAC) Tuesday.
Corrine Storey, BC Ferries' vice-president of customer services, said BC Ferries had finalized an extension to its contract with the provincial government the previous day, effectively cancelling the June 30 deadline to introduce service reductions.
With the deadline now extended to March 2014, the level of service will remain the same until then, she said.
As well, she said, the amount of cost savings by 2016 targeted under the plan has dropped from $26 million to $19 million.
Has the issue gone away? No. But we can breathe a little easier, Storey said.
I think that's very positive news, FAC chair Barry Cavens said.
Storey and other BC Ferries officials attended the April 9 FAC meeting at Saltwater Chophouse in Gibsons' Seaview Plaza.
While FAC members hailed the new deadline for service cuts as good news, the response from BC Ferries (BCF) on other key issues was received less positively.
BCF officials said a proposal put forward by the Sunshine Coast Regional District to freeze commercial vehicle fares on Route 3 (Horseshoe Bay to Langdale) could only be implemented if other fares on the route were increased proportionately to make up the lost revenue.
That's what Route 5 agreed to. It has to be revenue neutral, said David Hendry, BCF's director of strategic planning.
The committee ruled out that option.
It would be an incredibly hard sell, said FAC member Jakob Knaus, noting that all fares on the route are too high.
When someone suggested the lost revenue be taken from other major routes with lower commercial fares, Hendry said flatly, That's not on the table.
Knaus noted the year-end statistics for Route 3 showed commercial vehicle traffic was down four per cent overall from the previous year. I attribute the decline in traffic to our $6.40 per foot charge compared to the majors of $5.85. Our commercial rates ought to be adjusted downwards because it's one of our big needs, he said.
On another longstanding issue the need for a year-round 5:30 p.m. sailing from Horseshoe Bay Storey said she would discuss it with BCF senior management but could not see a resolution until after planned terminal upgrades for Langdale and Horseshoe Bay.
The main problem, Storey said, is the timing of vessels sailing out of Horseshoe Bay.
If we can crack Horseshoe Bay, we can crack the nut, she said, advising FAC members to provide input during consultations later this year on the Horseshoe Bay terminal master plan.
FAC member David Dyck said the Coast is losing its base of aging commuters because there is no 5:30 p.m. sailing during the summer months and holidays.
We need to have a 5:30 year round. The largest employer on the Sunshine Coast is the city, and it's diminishing, Dyck said.
We have a lot of consultations in the community, and every time, a 5:30 ferry in summer is on top of the list, said FAC member Lee Ann Johnson, a Gibsons councillor.
If the issue does not get resolved, Cavens said, we'll have to stand up and say this is not a place you should be moving to if you're going to be commuting to Vancouver.
Cavens asked why other routes couldn't share the pain.
We have to listen to the community. If that means a little hurt for the Island or Bowen Island, maybe it's their turn, he said.
Chris Morris, regional manager of terminal operations, said there was no priority given to any of the three routes out of Horseshoe Bay.
All three routes change in summer, Morris said.
Cavens vowed to bring it up at every meeting until it gets done.
Again on fares, Knaus proposed sports teams be included in a free passenger program for students on school outings. The cost would be covered by the same fund created in 2010 from a half per cent increase in fares. The fund now contains a considerable amount, Knaus said.
These sports teams are suffering. At 11 years of age they have to pay the full adult fare. This is a heavy burden on our young families. We say it would only be fair to the community to use some of the funds that are accumulated, he said, noting the school district has said it would be willing to administer the program.
That half per cent is in your fund now, but school groups aren't using it all, Cavens told BCF officials. There's no intention to exceed that. If in time we find there's a difference, we can deal with that. But I don't think that's going to happen.
BCF officials said they would take the request higher up the chain of command.
In terms of timing, I don't think it's going to happen before the next election, Hendry said.
On general fare equity and extending student and youth discounts to local routes, BCF officials said the only way those issues would be tackled is on a fleet-wide basis.
We wouldn't expect our fares to go down 30 or 40 per cent, Knaus said on the equity issue. But what we'd like to see is that fare increases aren't contemplated until the other routes catch up.
In other business, BCF officials said they are looking at developing a separate Experience Card system for low-income passengers, as well as a baggage program that would include a tagging system.
BCF reps were also scheduled to appear before an SCRD committee Thursday to request crews be permitted to work through the night on repairs to berth 1 at the Langdale terminal. The measure would shorten the duration of the work, which is expected to take three weeks otherwise and will leave only berth 2 operational.
