Powell River residents are bracing for increased ferry fees, which come into effect on Sunday, April 1.
BC Ferries is raising prices by 4.15 per cent on average on all routes. The increase was approved last spring when the provincial government amended the Coastal Ferry Act.
According to a BC Ferries’ news release, fare increases are required due to the rising cost of operating and capital expenditures, coupled with lower than anticipated traffic levels.
Further adjustments to the prices will be determined following the province’s response to the ferry commissioner’s report, which urged the government to increase its subsidy to the corporation in order to cap increases at the rate of inflation.
The new fares for Powell River routes are:
• Saltery Bay-Earls Cove, $45.90 for a passenger vehicle and $13.70 for an adult passenger.
• Powell River-Comox, $43.20 for a passenger vehicle and $13.65 for an adult passenger.
• Powell River-Texada Island, $23.55 for a passenger vehicle and $9.90 for an adult passenger.
In other ferry news, winter storms this year have impacted the number of sailing cancellations on the Powell River-Comox route.
According to information from BC Ferries, from September to December 2010, there were 24 sailing cancellations due to weather and two due to mechanical problems. In the same time period in 2011, there were 32 cancellations due to weather and four due to incidents.
In January and February 2011, there were 10 cancellations due to weather. In the same two months in 2012, there were 33 cancellations due to weather, 10 due to mechanical problems and three due to incidents, for a total of 46 cancellations.
