Editor:
Reference is made to your very good articles regarding ferry fares (Coast Reporter, March 8).
With all the attention focused on the ministry's consultation process and the general fare increase of 4.1 per cent April 1, we should not lose sight of the discrimination of high fares we have suffered compared with other routes over the last more than 25 years.
Now that we are a major route, a comparison with the other major routes shows this discrimination: on a "mile travelled" basis we are far above the other major routes.
For commercial, majors are $0.195 per mile; for Route 3, $0.320 per mile. For passengers, majors $0.517 per mile; for Route 3, $0.728 per mile and for the Experience Card, $0.605 per mile. For vehicles, majors $1.708 per mile; for Route 3, $3.453 per mile and for the Experience Card $1.920 per mile.
Our Experience Card rates are still higher than those for the majors.
When the "users pay all" system was in force we were always fobbed off by BC Ferries. But it is historical and you still get ferry transportation and federal subsidy payments, and we do not contemplate a change until you earn all your costs.
Now, with the new mandate for the commissioner "to look after the interests of ferry users" the commissioner should give a direction to BC Ferries to freeze our fares until the majors have caught up. We are trying.
We should seize every opportunity to point out these discrepancies and hopefully we finally might get some semblance of justice.
Jakob Knaus, Wilson Creek
