BC Ferries has reduced fuel surcharges in time for the BC Day long weekend, citing a decrease in fuel costs.
Effective Friday, July 20, the fuel surcharge on three major routes between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland dropped from five per cent to two per cent. Minor routes were also given the same adjustment and on the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route the fuel surcharge was reduced from 2.5 per cent to two per cent.
For travellers on any of Powell River’s three routes, all of which were formerly subject to the five per cent fuel surcharge applied to minor routes, the change comes as positive news, even if it does only mean savings in the realm of cents.
On the Powell River-Texada Island run, fuel surcharges are now $0.15 per round trip for adults, $0.05 for children, $0.45 for vehicles and $0.20 for motorcycles. Surcharges applied to the Saltery Bay-Earls Cove run are now $0.25 for adults, $0.10 for children, $0.90 for vehicles and $0.45 for motorcycles.
On the Comox-Powell River run, the fuel surcharge is applied to both directions of travel and has been reduced to $0.25 for adults, $0.10 for children, $0.85 for vehicles and $0.40 for motorcycles.
“The recent decrease in the cost of fuel allows us to reduce the fuel surcharges, which is great news for summer travellers,” said BC Ferries president and CEO Mike Corrigan in a company press release. “Fuel was our second highest expenditure last year at $121 million so we closely monitor the cost and reduce our consumption wherever possible,” he added.
BC Ferries’ fuel costs have skyrocketed from $45.9 million in 2003 to the current figure of $121 million and the company began applying fuel surcharges in 2008 to offset rising costs. Customers were given a fuel rebate when prices fell in 2009 and 2010 but the surcharges were increased once again last June. Last week’s announcement restored many of them to the way they were before that increase last year.
