Ferry fare hikes are like getting kicked in the crotch in the schoolyard.
First time we got a nasty one, back in 1997, we ran straight to the principal, sputtering in indignation: “Mr. Clark, B.C. Ferries just kicked me in the crotch! It’s going to cost $28.75!”
In 2001, when the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay car-and-driver rate jumped by another $1.75, we staggered to the office once more. “Mr. Dosanjh, B.C. Ferries did it again!”
By 2008, when the fare got booted up to $56 (and don’t forget the $17.50 reservation fee!) we were getting used to the sensation. “Mr. Campbell! …”
By Monday, when a four per cent increase punted the price to $66.75, we were resigned to the idea that A) we shouldn’t be surprised by regular hoofings, and B) the principal isn’t going to help. In fact, B.C. Ferries is just doing the principal’s dirty work. (“Is this your idea of families first, Ms. Clark?”)
At least two more years of four per cent fare increases await. So, following the May 14 election, do $26 million worth of service cuts. Ridership is at a 22-year low. The corporation loses millions.
Not sure this is what the Liberals had in mind 10 years ago today, when they cut B.C. Ferries adrift as a quasi-independent corporation.
Or maybe it is.
The Liberals knew they had a mess on their hands in 2003. B.C. Ferries had been hurt by political bungling for years. Fare increases often had more to do with election timing than economics. Successive governments had been reluctant to replace a fleet of rusting ships; when they did, the result was the fast-ferry fiasco.
That was in the 1990s, when NDP premier Glen Clark’s attempt to revitalize B.C.’s shipbuilding industry resulted in three over-budget vessels that didn’t work particularly well. (In case you’re wondering about the PacifiCat Explorer, PacifiCat Discovery and PacifiCat Voyager, they’re currently in Abu Dhabi awaiting conversion to military auxiliary vessels.) The New Democrats never recovered.
After taking power in 2001, the Liberals fled this tarbaby as though it were on fire. The new “independent” B.C. Ferries was supposed to be free of political interference, but the reality was that in wrapping the corporation in a regulatory straitjacket (on-board service levels are set by the province and staffing is mandated by Ottawa) and walking away with wallet tightly closed, the Liberals made a very political decision to divest themselves of accountability. Note that in 2004, when B.C. shipyards fumed as contracts to build new ferries went to a German firm that built U-boats in the Second World War, it was CEO David Hahn, not the politicians, who took most of the heat.
Which brings us to today. Without the same level of operating subsidy as is lavished on public transit in the Lower Mainland, and with none of the billions of dollars in provincial capital poured into transportation projects there, the corporation has little choice but to squeeze the customers, who are left feeling helpless.
“I don’t really have a choice, and they know that,” said Karla Hiltermann of Mission, waiting at Swartz Bay on Monday. “I think everyone feels a little conspired against.” (Don’t take it out on the ticket-booth staff, though; it’s not their fault.)
Still, there’s much to praise about the sort-of private B.C. Ferries. Crews run the ships with metronomic efficiency. Vessels are well-appointed and safe. Restaurants and shops brought in $76 million last year, easing pressure on fares. The major routes break even; overall, the federal-provincial subsidy is down to 24 per cent. Labour relations are less toxic.
That’s not even mentioning the parking-lot justice — where the Voice Of God booms out from the PA system, sending would-be budgers skulking to the back of the vehicle line — or the satisfaction of seeing tourists burst into tears when they realize they have to go back to Alberta. “When you go on other ferry systems, you have a very good appreciation of what you get,” said Burnaby’s Jane Atherton, sunning in the Swartz Bay parking lot Monday.
It seems we still get a kick out of riding B.C. Ferries.
