B.C. Ferries to raise rates again
 

Global BC | B.C. Ferries more like 'boutique tourist operator' than service to core customers

I find it interesting that they compare the service to that of a boutique tourist operator because it is becoming incredibly un-affordable.

Currently, it costs just under $160 (2 people + car) for a round trip. That shit ain't cheap! I use to go over to the island a few times a year for a couple nights and do some touristy stuff but I have been over in a couple years b/c I'd rather spend the money elsewhere.

I don't even know how this problem can be solved...the likelihood of a significant fair decrease is highly unlikely...

doesnt affect me

Ah ignorance. If you live in BC, rises in transportation costs have the ability to affect you indirectly, not just because you yourself don't travel to the Island.

I know for myself, I haven't been to the Island in over 5 years aside from a flight I need to catch from Victoria because the costs have just become too high.

Not sure what the solution is either, since a fixed link bridge is out of the question.

how does rise in ferry transportation costs affect me?

except maybe if they increase car insurance costs to off-set it

So, what is the issue with the bridge? I remember reading and article in regards to why it can't be done, but I forget....can you refresh my memory?

What about a tunnel?

The island and the mainland are becoming more and more segregated now, and the only people riding ferries are those who absolutely have to, or those who don't give a shit.

For anyone not in those two categories, who in their right mind would spend $200 for a family of four, when you can use half of that money in gas and either go east, north, or south.

The problem (in my opinion) is how BC Ferries is being run.

Say it costs X dollars to run the company. A would be direct costs for services (the ferries and all costs associated), and B would be overhead costs (salaries, pensions, benefits, marketing, etc). So A+B=X. Y would be the profit brought in from sales of fares. Obviously, X and Y should balance out, or Y should be greater for the company to stay afloat.

Throughout the last decade, A has increased, due to rising fuel costs, and purchase/upgrade of new fleet, etc, which is understandable, and likely out of BCF's control. However, they have also been steadily increasing B, which is very well within their control. 6 figure pensions/bonuses, hiring "consultants" by giving them money to figure out how to save money, etc.

So now, X has increased so much that it greatly outweighs Y, and because X has gone up so much, people can't afford it, so Y decreases even further. And then they spend money to hire someone with a master's degree, give him a 6 figure salary, to figure out what I just wrote up in 5 minutes.

The "corporation" is run by retards who are looking to do nothing more than line their own pockets, with no regard to the future of the company or the effects it has on the people.

What should be done is that it should be made into a government run entity again, and to provide the service, as a service. Of course in order for this to happen we would need a responsible and honest government :badpokerface:

In essence, it bothers me that so many people are missing out from some incredible sightseeing on the island, because a few retards decided it was ok to tank a company that is essentially necessary for the province.

Bridge and tunnel are un-feasible due to the seabed in the Juan de Fuca strait. It's very very deep, and very very soft. It's also sitting in an area with high (potential) seismic activity.

Pretty much. And that it would be economically unfeasible as well.

I think a bridge to the island would be around 20-25km (off the top of my head), which would end up costing billions upon billions to construct.

I know the Oresund Fixed Link bridge between Copenhagen and Malmo, Sweden cost about $6 billion to construct in total (part bridge, part tunnel) and that was only 15km or so.

The tolls to cross the bridge from Vancouver to the island would be so astronomical to pay it off that it would be a lot more than what we pay for a ferry now.

I used to go over semi-regularly to help Mama Bastardo with some things around the house. Now I can't do that.

Not only would I have to sit on a drafty boat with sticky seats but I'd have to pay $6 for a cup of coffee (or whatever it costs in the cafeteria. $12 hamburgers are ridiculous as well) but I'd have to come out to find my car has been coated in rusty water thats leaked from one of their fire suppression systems. My front lip grinds against the ramps as I enter and leave the boat because of the ridiculous angles they have the entry/exit ramps at.

And to hear that they price themselves to a boutique tourism service? Where are the services? Where is the onboard entertainment? Where is the wifi? Why can't I use my debit card on the boat? Hell, if I can get the pizza guy to come to my place with a portable debit machine, you can install one on a boat.... or even let me pay via debit at the terminal. I can pay at your vendors like Starbucks at the Departure Bay terminal, why can't I buy a ticket with my debit card?

And why, here in 2012, have we not built bridges to communities like Denman/Hornby Island, Quadra, Gabriola, and over to huge communities like Saltspring and Bowen Island/Gibsons? Seismic activity my ass. Where are these floating bridges they proposed over a decade and a half ago? Most of those communities don't have emergency medical services. What are they supposed to do? Hold their heart attacks until one of the six sailings that day departs, then drive to an ER?

This is what happens when you let an essential service set its own prices. Its not like they have competition anymore. The CN ferry has long since shut down, and the most recent company (which was passenger only) went belly up in 2005 iirc.

I wonder the next time they take job action will be. Allowing a business the power to strand citizens in an isolated area is pretty scary. I know that they made the choice to be there, but they didn't make the choice to be at the whims of a company that fancies itself the new incarnation of the White Star Line

Calling themselves a "boutique tourist operator" is such a fucking "FUCK YOU" to the people of BC that it makes me sick

Ever been on one of the Duke Point ferries? :seriously:

We used to go over to the island about once every month or two, but it's just ridiculously unaffordable at this point.

IMO the more expensive it gets the less people are going to go to use the ferries The people that have to go back and forth for work or to visit family are going to make less and less trips and only go when they have to. The people who maybe would go there multiple times a year and do the tourist thing , camping, surfing and what not will go less or go somewhere else that they don't have to pay for a ferry.

It's a snowball effect because as less and less people use it the more expensive it's going to get. This is just my theory I have no data to back it up, maybe it's full and will continue to be full every sailing but I doubt it. I know for me the cost of going to the Island basically makes it a non starter for me. I can go somewhere else, take that money I'd spend on the ferry and it will pay my hotel and dinner for the night. I would never go there unless work sent me, nothing I need over there. I'm sure there are people who live on the island that think the same way about the mainland.

Harbour Air : Fares

Soon people who don't need their cars on the Island will just start taking Harbour Air.. Then BC Ferries is legit FUCKED.

Game over. :accepted:

BC Ferries did not state the boutique thing, the BC director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation did.

Yeah, because paying 10 times as much to get to the island will really show BC Ferries who's boss.

I remembered only paying $65 for me, the car and one other passenger; this year, it's $65 for the car and driver alone! And it's only gonna go up again? :fuckthatshit:
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It's interesting how... $143.39/1 way for a quick ticket is 10x more expensive then $110 for driving there. (This is from DT Vancouver to Victoria BTW, not the cheaper alternative from YVR or from Van-Nanaimo)

If my math is correct $143.39 x 2 = $286.78.. / 2 = 2.60x.

Once the rate gets increased to the unkown amount,, I wonder how much that number will drop? Because yknow, clearly 2.6 = 10. :failed:

If you're flying, you won't be able to bring your own vehicle with you, so why are you comparing flying with the cost of going over in a vehicle? That's a fail comparison, son.

It should be $143.39 (one way flight) vs $14.85 (one way ferry ride). So yes, flying vs the ferry is 10x the cost.

That's pretty much my thought on this. I haven't been to any of the islands in years because the prices keep going up. It costs me less in gas money to drive up to Salmon Arm and back to Langley to see my gf than it would to take a ferry to Victoria. If they actually dropped the fares, I'm positive you'd see an increase in ferry traffic.

I'm not complaing. Less ferry traffic equals less traffic on my drive home that I have to contend with.

Ferry from Calais, France to Dover, England costs over 40euro/ walk on and rediculolus amounts for a car. For the same approx distance/time as we have to get to VI. It's not THAT expensive. And our ferries are MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH nicer.

I want to visit my family on christmas in Victoria then i saw this thread but then again cant put a price on family :)

I go down at least once a week for work... its ridiculous, they have nothing to justify the rate hike. the boats are shit and uncomfortable, the food is less than mediocre, the service is horrendous. I dont get it.

They make bank too.

http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.c...rries28nw1.jpg

This is why. Well, used to be.

Now, this is why.

http://media.canada.com/7a4062bf-1ca...g?size=620x400