It looks like residents of the Sunshine Coast will be paying 4.15 per cent more each year from 2012 to 2016 to use B.C. Ferries, according to a recent preliminary decision by the B.C. Ferry Commissioner.
The decision, released last week, would bump Route 3 (Langdale Horse-shoe Bay) to a major route classification, actually reducing the proposed yearly rate increase by about half. Minor routes are looking at an 8.23 per cent increase each year during performance term three, which runs from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2016.
The Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) sees other benefits of being bumped up to a major route classification.
"Long term it's also a benefit for us because in due course they will have to replace the Queen of Surrey and they want to upgrade the Lang-dale terminal," said FAC chair Jakob Knaus.
"Now if we would have to bear those costs as an individual route group, then obviously our infrastructure costs, amortization and financing would go very high, but if we are now in the route group with the majors, that will be distributed between the group."
But the FAC also has some concerns about the change, mainly whether the experience card discounts will still be available, if the fuel discount will remain attached to Route 3 and whether youth sports teams will see a discounted fare in the next ferry term.
"In the present arrangement in our fuel account, we get a quarterly discount of $233,000 out of the duty remission, and the major routes are not getting that. So if we are bumped up to the majors, we want to clarify from the commissioner whether that $233,000 will still be applied to us," Knaus said.
The FAC will also be pressing the commissioner to see a 50 per cent discount for youth sports teams using the ferries to travel to games off Coast and to ensure the 22 per cent discount now available with the experience card will still be honoured under the new route classification.
The FAC has 90 days from the time the preliminary ruling was made public to bring these concerns forward to the commissioner and lobby him to make changes.
The FAC will also be engaging in a conference call with B.C. Ferries on April 21 to discuss the concerns.
B.C. Transportation Min-ister Blair Lekstrom is concerned about the fare hikes, saying they are too high and that people who use the ferries daily "can't sustain those kind of increases," during a media address last Thursday in Vancouver.
Lekstrom has committed to talk with caucus and the premier to "find out what we can do to make sure that our ferries are affordable and meet the needs of British Columbians."
He couldn't say whether his government would be willing to increase the subsidy to B.C. Ferries to take some of the burden off the users.
"It's too early to tell. We are going to look at all our options," he said. "We're going to take the report, have a thorough review of it and then look at what options we do have as a government."
