B.C. Ferries is more than doubling its fuel surcharge starting June 1
New rate will add $2 for vehicle and driver on Metro Vancouver-Vancouver Island routes
B.C. Ferries is more than doubling its fuel surcharge starting June 1, citing rising fuel costs.
The surcharge will rise from one per cent to 2.5 per cent, the ferry operator said Monday.
It said the surcharge will add 45 cents to an adult fare and $2 for a vehicle and driver travelling on routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island; and 25 cents for an adult fare and $1.05 for a vehicle and driver on a number of inter-island routes.
"We certainly don't like putting in a fuel surcharge," B.C. Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall told host Michelle Eliot on BC Today.
"We know that nobody likes to pay more for any of their goods, but we are in a situation where we do have to implement a higher fuel surcharge going forward because we are paying higher prices for fuel."
The company said over the past 18 years it has used a fuel rebate and surcharge system to manage the ups and downs of fuel prices. When fuel prices are low, savings are passed on to customers, and conversely when prices go up, a surcharge is added, it said.
As of June 1, the 2.5 per cent fuel charge will also be applied on three routes — Port Hardy-Prince Rupert, Prince Rupert-Haida Gwaii and Port Hardy-Central Coast — where there is currently no surcharge.