Clarification: This story has been modified to reflect the fact that the BC Ferry Commission — which regulates BC Ferries and sets fares — is independent of both BC Ferry Services Inc. (which operates the ferry system) and the British Columbia government.Amid concerns over rising prices and declining performance on the province’s commuter ferry system, British Columbia is cracking down on on its flagship BC Ferries Corp. by limiting future price hikes and imposing penalties for missed sailings..The BC Ferry Commission — which oversees the troubled Crown entity — on Tuesday said it would set a price cap of 3.2% per year over the next four years on fares effective April 1 of next year and extending to March 31, 2028..The final cap is less than half of the 9.2% originally proposed in March of last year, due to a one-time grant of $500 million from the provincial government to address reliability issues..“A maximum 3.2% increase in annual fares will, I believe, be sufficient to allow BC Ferries to meet the financial demands of the upcoming performance term, while at the same time providing British Columbians with safe, reliable and affordable ferry service,” ferries Commissioner Eva Hage said in a press release..In addition, the province said it aims to implement penalties for ‘core-service’ sailings that are cancelled due to staffing shortages. It comes as travellers, particularly in remote northern regions that rely on the service, have disrupted public meetings amid mechanical breakdowns and cancelled bookings..A woman at a ferry commission meeting in Gibson last week reportedly threatened to “take a gun” on everyone attending if changes weren’t made..It came after a second double-hulled ferry, The Spirit of Vancouver, was dry docked last week for repairs ahead of the busy Thanksgiving weekend. Its sister ship, The Coastal Renaissance went out of service in August and will be out of service until November. Both are the largest vessels of their kind in the world..Details on the penalties will be released next spring, the province’s transportation ministry said..“People want to know their sailings will run as scheduled,” Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said. “While BC Ferries is working hard to secure additional staffing, the provision for penalties is an added measure to hold the company to account for the services it is contracted to provide.”.BC Ferries operates the ferry system under a services contract with the province. The latest, which renews every four years, specifies the annual addition of 1,433 round-trip sailings — previously designated as ‘discretionary’ sailings — to core services on 13 minor routes, mostly in northern regions. .The move is meant to add capacity and improve service for smaller, ferry-dependent communities, it added..The $500 million grant, announced on February 26, is on top of the province’s annual service fee which is just over $194 million this fiscal year. The additional $500 million will also allow BC Ferries to deliver greenhouse-gas emissions reductions through electrification of vessels and other initiatives to green the fleet and operations, it said, including conversion of vessels to LNG..Whether it’s enough to assuage persnickety travellers is another question altogether. One of the toughest critics of both the province and the company itself is BC Ferry and Marine Workers Union boss Eric McNeely..“You would expect a highway to be open all the time and when you look at the ferry system as a marine highway, it’s falling short on a few fronts,” he told Vancouver talk radio station CKWX.
