Problems in Europe

[Doug]

I'd take a ferry anyday over a jet.

[Balfour]

Yeah Same here. Ferries are much more realxing. Jet Planes are boring and noisy

[Political Incorrectness]

agreed let's just say that

[Doug]

When I first thought of transportation in Europe a few years ago (I knew nothing about it), I didn't think of ferries. Maybe international ferry runs are becoming less popular, I don't know, but BC Ferries is only increasing about 1% a year as of 2001. So since then, traffic has increased about 4% and by 2010, it is SUPPOSED to increase by nearly 40%...whether that's true or not I don't know. Schedules are not being cut in BC. Sure there are breakdowns and issues with engines which DO in fact need more funding...the Queen of Oak Bay, as Dane mentioned in a previous post, didn't crash due to an engine problem but a faulty or missing part, not something BC Ferries should be blamed for. But Cascade, the hassle of flying across the Strait of Georgia, which is only 50 km in the wide spots, is too much of a hassle vs taking the ferries. Driving into downtown Vancouver and taking the Harbourlynx is too much of a hassle for the typical out-of-province traveler to Vancouver Island, it is better for local business travlers who NEED to be there fast. The best example I can think of is this: you have a "C" Class ferry at Horseshoe Bay and a Pacificat at Langdale. They both leave at the same time, and after reaching the opposite side, unload, reload, and depart. The "C" Class will be more efficient whereas if you were to do the same such as on Tsawwassen-Duke Point, the opposite would be true.... The Island isn't accessible by air very easily anyways, there are how many big airports? One that handles jets? In Victoria? WAY too much hassle, Vancouver Island is not even a domestic run let alone an international one....

[NMcKay]

I think youve got the wrong point here. Air travel in BC is VERY popular, and the opposite is true with us as well. we find more Tourists, than we do buisness people. they find that the speed, and the fact that travelling with a car is so expensive. vs parking it in nanaimo for 8.00$ and taking the lynx. and alot of services are within walking distance of the terminal. and those that are not (the airport for example) are within easy grasp of us with our shuttle services.

[Doug]

Air travel may be popular, but for shorter hops like between the mainland and Vancouver Island, why bother? Sure more than just business people use your ferry, but most of the people are local from Vancouver itself and the surrounding neighbours. People who come from out of the Valley probably tend to use BC Ferries. The hassle to drive into and out of Vancouver is not worth it. I'm talking about the long-distance travelers, not the tourists who just want to go to the Island for a day or two.

[NMcKay]

They still find it more convienient. especially when you can be downtown in only 25 minutes, or even the 1H 20Mins with the lynx

[Doug]

Of course, you were in the airport. It would be a hassle to get OUT of it. How much does a float plane cost? $109 one way. That's more than a vehicle with a trailer and a few people on a ferry. I was on West Coast Air's Website, and guess what? A fuel surcharge of $5.00 has been added on. Rental cars? I thought all cars need fueling up.... The main reason the fuel price is so high right now is because America is fighting for it AND a natural disaster has just passed through New Orleans. Give it a few years...it MAY go down, otherwise, we may have to find a cheaper, cleaner alternative fuel.

An extra note...doesn't fuel price always rise when there is a war?

[Scott]

Cascade, I don't know, maybe you meant gas taxes here are 47% of the price at the pump, not 4.7. That would be closer anyways.... most sources say it's between 32-45% of the price at the pump. And here in Vancouver we have the Translink tax in the gas as well.

I don't think car manufacturers are going to let gas prices slow their business for long. They'll just be eventually forced to making more fuel efficient vehicles.. or alternative fuel vehicles. So in the long run, I don't think the "car" will become extinct.

As for air travel or harbourlynx .. yes, if you're by yourself and have some extra money, that's the way to go. It's fast and usually convenient. If you've got a family... say 3 or 4 people... the price is absolutely prohibitive. Say 4 of us want to go to Nanaimo overnight and go on Harbourlynx. That's almost 200 bucks right there. It would be over 50 bucks cheaper to take the car, and you could actually go to different parts of Nanaimo, not just downtown. Taking the airplane? Probably looking at over 500 bucks.

BC Ferries is actually quite convenient for a lot of people, they might just not know it. I live in Burnaby near Metrotown. If I time it right, I can be in Horseshoe Bay in less than 1 1/2 hours and in Nanaimo in about 3 hours... taking BC Ferries. Total cost would be less than 20 bucks one way. Victoria is a bit longer and not as convenient with public transit, but again, if I timed it right I could be at Tsawwassen in 1 1/2 hours, Swartz Bay in about 3 and downtown Victoria in around 4 - 4 1/2 hours.

[Doug]

I've looked at many European crossings...they are long and expensive, per passenger that is. Many of them are in excess of 15 hours (which is the same as the Inside Passage). So going through the hassle of getting on a plane in Europe is not so bad after all...seeing the crossing time and expense you will be paying on a ferry. The ferries between the mainland and Vancouver Island, however, are cheap. $10 a passenger and the crossing time is an hour and a half. Why go through Vancouver just to fly to Vancouver Island? It's out of the picture for most. And the passenger figures, well they are only rising like I said previously. About 1% a year, and by 2010, they are SUPPOSED to be carrying 30 million a year. No European operator can compete with those numbers....

[Scott]

Cascade, we may be talking about a different tax, I don't know, but the percentage of the pump price in Canada is at the lowest, 30% taxes. In Vancouver, it's probably over 40%. Right now we're paying around 109.9 per liter. 40-50 cents of that is going to various levels of government.

www.taxpayer.com/main/news.php?news_id=2067