BC Ferries hikes fares again Aug. 1

The B.C. Ferry Commission has given BC Ferries the green light to implement another major fuel surcharge on Aug. 1.

Fares on the three major routes between the mainland and Vancouver Island will rise by 10.3 per cent and fees on 18 minor routes will go up 17.6 per cent, while the fare on the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route servicing the Sunshine Coast will jump 9.2 per cent.

Only the company's northern routes have been spared from higher fares.

The next fuel surcharge was scheduled for October, but in June, BC Ferries said that rising fuel prices prompted the corporation to ask for a larger rate increase sooner.

At that time, BC Ferries president David Hahn said that it would be better to implement the price increase in the busy summer season, rather than the fall, so that visitors would help residents pay down the corporation's rising fuel bill.

Spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said it's unfortunate that the high fuel prices have to be passed on to customers, but the company has seen its fuel costs rise from $45 million five years ago to $140 million this fiscal year.

On April 1, a four per cent increase was added to all southern routes. BC Ferries started tacking on fuel surcharges in 2005.

The B.C. Ferry Commission, an independent government body, sets fare prices and surcharges for BC Ferries, which is a private corporation owned by the B.C. government and funded by a government contract.