Fares are behind falling ferry passenger numbers: council
Posted June 16, 2012 7:14 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A lot of former ferry-regulars are not surprised by BC Ferries numbers released Friday, saying passenger traffic has not been this low since 1991.
One of the chairs of the Ferry Advisory Council predicts passenger numbers will continue to fall.
Brian Hollingshead, who represents the southern Gulf Islands, says there is a direct correlation between rising fares and dropping passenger numbers.
“It there was a fare rollback of about 15, 18, 20 per cent, something in that area, then you would start to see traffic recovery,” he explains. “In the absences of that, we expect to see the traffic decline continue.”
He says ferry users are not looking for a free ride, as they do pay about 72 per cent of overall operating costs, compared to the only 35 per cent for transit riders.
With a return crossing priced at $182 for a car, driver and one passenger, he says many people are just choosing to stay closer to home.
“People used to come over for the weekend to visit the grandparents, and bring the kids over. And now with the price they’re saying ‘I don’t think so. We’ll go to Penticton or Whistler instead.'”
