B.C. ferries, over length sale

I think all BC residents should get either free reservations, or an across the board discount. After all we pay twice, through tax sponsored subsidy and the same fare rates as out of Province people. I' m not anti tourist but why should I pay more than a visitor! Ever been to Maui? Notice the local/ tourist price structure?
 
fishin_magician said:
Regular is 1.51 in Vancouver stations. Ferry fares are higher than they have ever been. The reservations system revenue is dropping. Ferris NEED the revenue....they're trying to entice you into travelling.
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What a novel concept-try dropping the fares to increase ridership-amazing!! Much better than last years-ridership is down, revenues are down -we have to raise fares-DUH!!!!
 
It's a start. I'd like to see it on the Van to Duke Point 5:15am as well as it's usually half full and allows one to get across or up Island and get the boat launched and camp ready, get the intel and still have an evening fish.
 
tubber said:
It's a start. I'd like to see it on the Van to Duke Point 5:15am as well as it's usually half full and allows one to get across or up Island and get the boat launched and camp ready, get the intel and still have an evening fish.
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that would be nice. would make sense...
 
A discount for locals is one way to put it, but what a ****** welcome to BC and Canada to charge tourists extra. Media would have a field day with that one. Sorry Ziggy, but it costs Ferries the same to haul your butt across the Strait as it does a tourist's. Interior residents pay same income and sales taxes as you, but get far less use of the coastal ferries. Seniors' taxes pay for schools their kids graduated from decades ago, car owners pay for transit they don't use, and so it goes on. My opinion is that govt should subsidise ferries more comprehensively than they do. Bureaucrats trying to apply well meaning but misguided business principles to ferries has brought us to this mess where service is being seriously reduced to small communities. Small volume runs will never be money makers, a genuinely privatised ferry operator would just cherry pick the cash cows and never touch 80% of the routes BC Ferries operates.
 
sly_karma said:
A discount for locals is one way to put it, but what a ****** welcome to BC and Canada to charge tourists extra. Media would have a field day with that one. Sorry Ziggy, but it costs Ferries the same to haul your butt across the Strait as it does a tourist's. Interior residents pay same income and sales taxes as you, but get far less use of the coastal ferries. Seniors' taxes pay for schools their kids graduated from decades ago, car owners pay for transit they don't use, and so it goes on. My opinion is that govt should subsidise ferries more comprehensively than they do. Bureaucrats trying to apply well meaning but misguided business principles to ferries has brought us to this mess where service is being seriously reduced to small communities. Small volume runs will never be money makers, a genuinely privatised ferry operator would just cherry pick the cash cows and never touch 80% of the routes BC Ferries operates.
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I guess you missed my point. BC taxpayers are paying more than visitors, think about it. We subsidize the ferries to the tune of over 100 million, plus we pay the same fare as visitors. Perhaps you are OK with that, I'm not. As for tourists paying more than locals, last I checked ,places like Maui who have resident and non resident rates for most things, are still drawing tourists. So your argument about resident non resident rates doesn't wash imo . I do agree it costs the ferries the same to haul my butt as it does for that of a tourist, so why do I pay twice?? Oh and speaking of locals getting a break, you do know that currently the minor routes have a Coast Saver program which gives them a 25% discount, so there is precedent.
 
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What really pisses me off with BCF is the fact their per foot rate for over 20ft is so high that your second 20ft is more expensive than your vehicle rate - or in other words more expensive than two vehicles!! How the frick does that make any sense?!!! Gouging, plain and simple! Should be a reasonable rate that's somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50% of what you pay for the first 20ft. I know I'm dreaming using a term like reasonable in a thread about BC Ferries.

Ukee
 
Bc Ferries always lose money for paying fuel, employers etc.

Set up bridges same idea Key West Florida.
 
No bridges!!! I live on the island because I like it. I don't want to become a suburb of Vancouver. They just need to figure out how to run them properly.
 
We just spent over 600 bucks to Van isle and back, truck, boat and fishers. Sure can't afford that more then once a year when you add it up with lodging, fuel, food and gear ........ Brutal !

When you hear " THANK YOU FOR SAILING WITH BC FERRIES" ......... Makes us laugh ....... Like we have a choice!
 
thawk said:
No bridges!!! I live on the island because I like it. I don't want to become a suburb of Vancouver. They just need to figure out how to run them properly.
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So there you have it. Ferries are more desirable than bridges, so you need to take the good with the bad. Nothing wrong with working with Ferries to make the programs better though, I would think that's how the coast saver program appeared in the first place. Form a 3-4 trips a year perspective, I think they do a decent job; load and unload speed/efficiency amazed me the first trip I took a couple of decades ago. The increased fare/decreased service angle is a mess (same as Canada Post), but as I said that's bureaucrats being expected to think like business people when the real issue is the service is underfunded by the province.
 
The problem with the Ferries is unlike Sky train,West Coast Express or BC transit, it is expected to be revenue neutral. How often do you hear it should be user pay, or you chose to live on an Island? Every form of transit is subsidized highways and bridges are seldom tolled, yet for some reason you never hear,you chose to live in the burbs and commute or you chose to live on the wrong side of the river?The Ferries for whatever reason are not treated as a normal transportation link? Maybe like other modes of transit it needs a discount pass?
 
My sons are playing soccer in North Vancouver.. I have to take ferries a cross to Mainland and watched their soccer games.

I think we should have bridges set up on serval islands.. It is similar to Key West Florida. It will be cheaper than Ferries's fare.

Sindey to Vancouver drive car about an half hour +/-

I paid close to $ 200 for a round trip .. crazy price!
 
ziggy said:
The problem with the Ferries is unlike Sky train,West Coast Express or BC transit, it is expected to be revenue neutral. How often do you hear it should be user pay, or you chose to live on an Island? Every form of transit is subsidized highways and bridges are seldom tolled, yet for some reason you never hear,you chose to live in the burbs and commute or you chose to live on the wrong side of the river?The Ferries for whatever reason are not treated as a normal transportation link? Maybe like other modes of transit it needs a discount pass?
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Agree mostly Ziggy, most other transit systems are tax funded and ferries should be properly supported too. But I thought there was already some subsidy now? Even more asinine if they are expected to be completely self funding. We need to support coastal communities, not withhold services that taxpayers in other parts of the province receive as their due.
 
Discus said:
My sons are playing soccer in North Vancouver.. I have to take ferries a cross to Mainland and watched their soccer games.

I think we should have bridges set up on serval islands.. It is similar to Key West Florida. It will be cheaper than Ferries's fare.

Sindey to Vancouver drive car about an half hour +/-

I paid close to $ 200 for a round trip .. crazy price!
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Check out a chart of Georgia Strait and you'll see why bridging that would be some task. Island hopping would reduce the needed ferry to just the Strait and we could do without the luxury boats. Gulf Islander's might not embrace the idea.
 
sly_karma said:
Agree mostly Ziggy, most other transit systems are tax funded and ferries should be properly supported too. But I thought there was already some subsidy now? Even more asinine if they are expected to be completely self funding. We need to support coastal communities, not withhold services that taxpayers in other parts of the province receive as their due.
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There is a subsidy however it is much smaller than that for public transit, public highways or bridges. Highways and bridges are funded at 100% for the most part. I'm not against the user paying a portion, after all there are no free rides. I just think BC residents are getting a raw deal as I said earlier you and I pay twice for our ride. Most transit systems have a discount pass for frequent users as do BC Ferries for the minor routes. The major routes however are full fare.
 
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