Antiquated computer systems apparently thwarted efforts by a Powell River school group to ride free on the ferry between Langdale and Horseshoe Bay.
City of Powell River Mayor Dave Formosa said Jay Yule, superintendent of schools for School District 47, advised him last week that despite proper documentation, the school contingent had to pay full fare. Students in School District 46, on the Lower Sunshine Coast, have free ferry travel across Howe Sound for sanctioned travel, and the allowance was recently extended to sports teams. This led to a successful request for the same status for Powell River students.
Formosa said he first learned about the refusal when he was in Victoria on city business. He received a phone call from Yule who told Formosa that Powell River students did not get the free fare from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay. Yule advised him that the school district had sent in documentation to BC Ferries prior to the planned travel outlining the trip.
“I immediately tried to contact Michael Corrigan, BC Ferries chief executive officer,” said Formosa.
Corrigan told him he was not aware the free ferry travel allowance for the Powell River students was not working. Upon further investigation, Corrigan was able to inform him that everything was in place but the word had not been given to the front-line workers. The reason is that the computer systems need to be tweaked to accept the Powell River students, Formosa said.
“We know School District 46 kids from the Lower Sunshine Coast can do it, so why they wouldn’t push the same button, I don’t know. Maybe they want to differentiate between the two, I don’t know.
“[Corrigan] said they were working on it. It would be done sooner than later.”
Formosa said Corrigan asked for Yule’s phone number so that someone from BC Ferries could contact him, and the process can be launched to provide free rides for Powell River students.
Corrigan told Formosa that he would get hold of Yule and get the matter fixed.
The issue of free ferry travel for students from Saltery Bay came up next. Currently, free travel for students has only been set up on the Langdale to Horseshoe Bay route to accommodate Lower Sunshine Coast students. Formosa reminded Corrigan that in a previous conversation on this matter, Corrigan had stated that ferry travel on the Sunshine Coast would be equitable for School District 47 students. Formosa said Corrigan told him there would be equity on Route 3, the Langdale to Horseshoe Bay route.
“I said no, Michael, you did not tell me Route 3 would be equitable. You said you will make sure our students are equitable with the students below,” Formosa said. “What that means to me is they get on for free and they come back for free.”
Formosa told Corrigan that BC Ferries is Powell River’s “public enemy number one. We lose residents, tourists, people that are considering moving here and seniors because they can’t afford the ferry.”
Brooks Secondary School’s junior volleyball team, which had been competing in the provincial championship in Delta, was granted free passage at Horseshoe Bay on their return home, Yule said on social media.
Meanwhile, ridership information on local routes has been released. On Saltery Bay to Earls Cove, year to date (January to October 2014), there have been 113,286 vehicles and 231,716 passengers, a 1.45 per cent and 1.78 per cent drop respectively compared to 114,954 vehicles and 235,917 passengers for January to November 2013.
Between Westview and Texada Island, year to date for 2014, there were 47,843 vehicles and 95,455 passengers, compared to 51,661 vehicles and 101,901 passengers in year to date in 2013. This amounts to a 7.39 per cent drop in vehicle and a 6.33 per cent drop in passenger traffic.
Ridership on the Westview to Little River run has remained relatively stable from 2013 to 2014. Vehicles, year to date, in 2014, total 93,162 and passengers 223,755. In 2013, the figures were 94,503 and 228,159, respectively. The drop this year was 1.42 per cent for vehicles and 1.93 per cent for passengers.
