It's going to cost you more money to ride on B.C. Ferries this summer.
The B.C. Ferry Com-missioner has approved yet another fuel surcharge for B.C. Ferries, bumping local routes up 9.6 per cent as of Thursday, June 22.
The increase is to cover escalating fuel costs the ferry corporation claims have risen to $75 million this year, up from $57 million last year.
"We were hit really hard this time," said Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee chair Ed Steeves. "Only half of what the corporation asked for last time was approved and we're getting the full blast this time."
This is the third fuel surcharge implemented by B.C. Ferries on local routes since July 2005.
The fleet-wide surcharge is only 3.2 per cent for major routes connecting Vancouver Island to the Lower Mainland and 9.6 per cent on all other routes, excluding the Mill Bay-Brentwood Bay route.
"This is due to the vessel's operating environment and relatively light fuel consumption," said a press release from B.C. Ferries.
Steeves said that at a recent ferry advisory meeting, assurances were given that the Coast's routes would also be looked at individually to see if an increase was warranted.
"We're separate and distinct and they told us they would look at the surcharge for each route separately. They didn't do that," Steeves said.
His group planned to meet with the B.C. Ferry Commissioner this week to discuss the surcharge and the figures showing it was warranted.
"We want to check those figures. We have some questions around the calculations that were used," Steeves noted.
The increase means adult passengers travelling between the Coast and Vancouver or the Coast and Powell River will now pay $1.25 above the $8.90 walk-on rate. Under-height passenger vehicles will pay $4.55 above the $30.50 vehicle charge and over-height vehicles will pay $9.50 above the $53 charge.
These rates will jump again on June 28 when the peak season charges come into effect.
Peak season rates raise the basic adult foot passenger fare to $9.15 (plus the $1.25 surcharge), the under-height passenger vehicle charge to $32.65 (plus the surcharge) and the over-height vehicle charge to $56.25 (plus the surcharge).
For a full listing of B.C. Ferry rates and the commissioner's complete ruling visit the website at www.bcferries.com.
