BC Ferries has announced a fare increase of 3.5 per cent to cover rising fuel costs, saying current prices are 14 cents per litre higher than what the province’s ferry commissioner used to determine the cap on fares.
“Last year, for example, we paid $121 million in fuel. We do have a fuel deferral account as a mechanism to try to balance it out,” says Deborah Marshall with BC Ferries.
The extra charge could add several dollars to some trips, with a family of four travelling between Vancouver and Victoria paying an extra $3.25 for a one-way trip.
The fare hike will come into effect January 17th. It will apply to all routes except for sailings from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, and Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii.
BC Ferries has taken a number of steps recently to bring down costs, including announcing plans to eliminate thousands of sailings across the province and eliminate some discounts.