Regular ferry riders and residents of far-flung coastal and island communities have much to cheer for in ferry commissioner Gordon Macatee's first significant action since his appointment last year.
Macatee's review of the Coastal Ferry Act, released this week, stops short of saying B.C. Ferries is heading for the rocks, but his implication is clear: the course the quasi-independent company is steering is not sustainable.
Fares have reached "the tipping point of affordability," writes the commissioner and impose "significant hardship on ferry dependent communities."
Capping fare increases to the rate of inflation won't increase ridership - which is dropping - or tourism by itself, so Macatee is not just recommending larger government subsidy.
Thinking outside the box, the ferry commissioner asks three excellent questions:
- Why does the act prevent some route groups from subsidizing others?
- Why does the ferry reservation system penalize advance bookings?
- Why is the ferry system automobilecentric? Changes to the reservation system may be controversial, but they would help to address the problem of boats burning fuel to transport more crew members than passengers. Instead of across-the-board cuts to service, individual sailings could be cancelled based on demand.
But it's the business-model question that has the most far-reaching implications. We should be thinking in terms of moving people, rather than moving automobiles. But we will need to meet the challenge of a better transit system as well as different ferries.
