by Ken McLeish I find it extremely unfair and, to a much greater degree, discriminatory that BC Ferries’ special little benefits from time to time focus exclusively on travellers out of the Vancouver area. Take the following, which came to me on an email from BC Ferries, for example:
From March 22, 2011 to March 31, 2011, CoastSaver fares of $39.95 one way for a car and driver will be in effect on all scheduled sailings, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Adult passengers pay just $9.95.
CoastSaver spring break savings fares apply to all passenger vehicles (up to 20 feet in length) fare types (including motorcycles) and are available on the following routes in both directions:
• Tsawwassen (Vancouver) to Swartz Bay (Victoria).
• Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver) to Departure Bay (Nanaimo).
• Tsawwassen (Vancouver) to Duke Point (Nanaimo).
I live in Powell River and travel to Vancouver Island for work and holidays much more often than the average Vancouver area dweller.
In a telephone call to BC Ferries head offices, I learned from the young woman who I spoke with that we in Powell River are not offered these discounts because we make use of BC Ferries Experience cards. I was not living in Powell River when the Experience cards were introduced but did register for a card at that time due to the savings on each trip. Most people I know in the Vancouver area also make deposits to their cards on a regular basis if they travel by ferry to Vancouver Island or any of the Gulf Islands for work or play; those folks also cash in on the savings. The fact that we must make deposits to a minimum of $85 to top up the card raises further issues of unfairness to consumers. Whatever the unused balance after any trip goes into BC Ferries accounts where I am sure the interest is welcomed. This creates an unnecessary payment for services not yet received as well as an extra draw on the traveller’s funds.
If any travellers should benefit from cost-saving programs, those benefits should be passed on to all travellers equally, and particularly to British Columbians who already support the huge costs of fuel, maintenance, and rather ridiculously high top-end wage packages.
I submit that BC Ferries and a responsible provincial legislature should liaise and seriously work to create a fair and equitable fee system for all British Columbians instead of threatening doubled transportation costs one week followed by the above announcement the next.
I look forward to seeing how innovative BC Ferries can be for British Columbia and how fair it can be to all of us who keep those old tubs afloat.
Ken McLeish is a resident of Powell River.
