Getting expensive to come and go on the Island!!!!

[Sitkaspruce]

Looks like the million dollar CEO and his minions are at it again.....Pretty soon there will be no tourism...

http://www.vancouversun.com/ferry+f...less+government+intervenes/4225720/story.html

I could not imagine spending $32+ to go to Alert bay........never mind over a$100 for the wife and I to go to Van.

Hunting and Fishing is going to be even more expensive if they get their way.

Cheers

SS

 

[Gypseas]

Yeah they got us by the nuts and squeezing at will.

His doubled salary's got to come from somewhere. May it's just payback for questioning him last year...

 

[Justfish]

What ever happened to the ferries being part of the highway system? I guess our choice may be to have health care or cheap ferry service, can't afford both. Could be worse, ICBC could be running them like they run the RCMP.

 

[profisher]

Ferry prices are likely to ever decrease as the fuel they burn is one of the biggest costs. The barrel price is expected to reach $150 a barrel this year, its around $85 now. I will have to pass those kind of price increases on to my customers too. No one likes raising prices simply to cover costs. I would rather put my prices up and have the extra revenue go into my bank account. I'm sure BC ferries wishes the same. I know people who work at BC ferries and it may not well known but Mr Hahn is generally very well liked by the employees. He is accessible to anyone from the bottom up.

 

[Deewar25]

Ferry prices are likely to ever decrease as the fuel they burn is one of the biggest costs. The barrel price is expected to reach $150 a barrel this year, its around $85 now. I will have to pass those kind of price increases on to my customers too. No one likes raising prices simply to cover costs. I would rather put my prices up and have the extra revenue go into my bank account. I'm sure BC ferries wishes the same. I know people who work at BC ferries and it may not well known but Mr Hahn is generally very well liked by the employees. He is accessible to anyone from the bottom up.

Of course employees would like Mr Hahn, getting $22 to start to be a cashier, sweep floors, wipe tables, and play crib in spare time! As to prices decreasing, well, if he has any economic sense whatsoever, he WOULD decrease prices. This isn't a case where they are running at capacity and still losing money. This is a case where ridership is 50% the levels of 2008-2009 and older. This is the main source of income. Don't you think you should look at this first and deal with it? Struggling through a recession, how shall we bring customers back?? I know, lets raise prices! NOT That is the reason first and foremost why ridership is down 50%.

I checked the ridership numbers and made calculations. Assuming they were to drop to $25/vehicle and $7/passenger and that was enough to bring locals back to using it more regularly and fill back to 2008-2009 levels (I know I'd use it much more than I do now), they would see increased revenue of about $30 million/quarter perhaps knock off $10m in fuel costs for additional weight, you are talking $20 million/quarter or $80 million a year. Guess what, that $20 million loss they anticipate is now a $60 million gain! DUHHHHH Ridership down 50% now, hike prices 20% to 100%, ridership will be down another 50%. Now you have an average of 100 vehicles/trip when they 'could' run 370 vehicles...more wasted space, much more losses.

This guy doesn't get it. I guarantee this is a price point issue and he is going the wrong direction in price! $20 million loss this year, they raise prices, I bet $60 million loss next year. You wait and see!

 

[Bassblaster]

Excellent argument Deewar,

Maybe pass your calculations on to one of the Grunts on the ferry the next time you run into one and he can pass the idea to Mr. Hahn since he's accessible from the bottom up.

 

[Fish Assassin]

I think they should charge double.... at least.......on every route. Starting today

Just think about it... More fish for us locals. LOL

 

[Deewar25]

Excellent argument Deewar,

Maybe pass your calculations on to one of the Grunts on the ferry the next time you run into one and he can pass the idea to Mr. Hahn since he's accessible from the bottom up.

lol - I sent in a summarized version to TC letters - I know they don't like too many numbers and calcs in letters, but hopefully they print it, and in turn, Hahn will at least get a chance to read it (or someone will point it out to him) and maybe actually use logic for the first time in his career.

At the very least, run a trial - drop prices to $25 for the month of x...check the ridership - how does it compare to prior comparable year? Way better ridership, well, there is your answer. A monkey could do a better job here!

 

[Fish-Hunter]

Deewar25 , you are right on the mark! I do believe that they have reduced the fares (for short periods) in the past and have seen that the ridership increased! So it should be pretty simple for a million dollar man to figure out that it is a price point issue no doubt about it. Hell if they didn't get enough info from lowering the prices for a short period of time to determine if the ridership definitively went up due to the price reductions, they definately should have enough supportive info to show that raising the prices is not increasing the ridership. I know that personally we used to go across 8-10 times per year, and now we only go when we absolutely have to (once or twice a year), and I know lots of others that say the same thing for themselves. It is one thing for Mr. Hahn to be in touch with his employees, but it is far more important for him to be in touch with the reality of how and where his companys revenues come from and how the decisions that are made by him influence the flow of said revenues.

Keep the ferries as a privately run tourist attaction, and build a Fu@%!&# Bridge that will cost far less to maintain and reduce our costs for getting ourselves and goods on and off the island. Free to get on and you pay to get off the island on the bridge, or you take the ferry system for the sight seeing aspect. It aint going to get any cheaper to do it tomorrow this is for sure, and the system that we are using now is not adequate for the busy periods now, (and they claim that they can't make money now), and the system sure as hell is not going to work in the future with even more traffic from increasing population.

It would seem that the DFO and the Federal Transportation departments have locked themselves into a room and are having an orgy of stupidity and are in an oblivious state of uphoria.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

$73.55 one way to Van, another $73.55 to return to Campbell River for two people and a compact car, for a total of $147.10. Think it might be a good idea to start packing a lunch, and just buy coffee to drink with home made sandwiches????...........BB

 

[beemer]

Gotta say no to a bridge! We like our moat. This is just a weak knee political play on Hahns part to try and pad the coffers.

 

[Fish Assassin]

Gotta say no to a bridge! We like our moat.

YES......I love our moat. Plus each year our moat gets bigger. So I am told.

 

[Little Hawk]

Agreed, I'd count myself among those opposed to a fixed crossing; the South Island would become an extension of Richmond. No thanks!

 

[Deewar25]

Agreed, I'd count myself among those opposed to a fixed crossing; the South Island would become an extension of Richmond. No thanks!

well, not that it would happen because of the logistics with wind, span, earthquakes, ocean bottom composition, but I don't believe it would become an extension of Richmond since a toll would likely be $40-50. You aren't going to pay $24000/year just to live on the island.

 

[profisher]

You can always ride the **** can Coho for $70.50 US for a car and 2 pass. About the same fares, one you get a ride in a 1950's VW Bug the other a newer Caddi...

 

[IronNoggin]

It would seem that the DFO and the Federal Transportation departments have locked themselves into a room and are having an orgy of stupidity and are in an oblivious state of uphoria.

Too True!

Very good points Deewar!

I rarely wander off The Rock any more, and that is a considerable part of the reason. Whenever possible I fly, as the costs are often the same. Kinda sucks coming back from Alberta with "overweight" coolers after the hunt, so I quite often simply ship those by Greyhound. I simply refuse to pay exorbitant prices to keep them rolling in cabbage.

Cheers,
Nog