Post by Scott on Dec 29, 2006 17:16:02 GMT -8
Isn't there a reason that every other ferry service in North America are government owned or government regulated and without competition? Alaska, Washington, BC Ferries, the Newfoundland ferries, San Francisco ferries, North Carolina Ferries, Staten Island ferries, Quebec's ferries, and Toronto Island ferries. They're essential services and they shouldn't be operated at the whim of private operators. The public and economy are dependant on reliable and affordable marine transportation.
Which ferry companies in Europe would be interested in operating in BC? A lot of them are "international" operators who know how to make good money running between countries without too many regulations. If a route doesn't make money they can quit running and the only people who will complain are the local tourist organizations.
Their ferries are also fairly interchangeable. If they need a new one, one will probably be available and will fit their docks without a problem. Here, we have a very good and efficient loading and unloading system, but unfortunately it's not compatable with many other systems.
Personally, I'm not comfortable opening the coast to the whims of private operaters out to make as much money as possible without much concern for things that we as citizens are concerned about. Do I think profit is a dirty word? No. But just like we don't ask public transportation in our cities to be profitable, I don't think we should expect BC Ferries to be either. Sure, they should be trying to make money to be somewhat self sustainable, but to let it out to a company that only cares about boosting their stock value - forget it.
Which ferry companies in Europe would be interested in operating in BC? A lot of them are "international" operators who know how to make good money running between countries without too many regulations. If a route doesn't make money they can quit running and the only people who will complain are the local tourist organizations.
Their ferries are also fairly interchangeable. If they need a new one, one will probably be available and will fit their docks without a problem. Here, we have a very good and efficient loading and unloading system, but unfortunately it's not compatable with many other systems.
Personally, I'm not comfortable opening the coast to the whims of private operaters out to make as much money as possible without much concern for things that we as citizens are concerned about. Do I think profit is a dirty word? No. But just like we don't ask public transportation in our cities to be profitable, I don't think we should expect BC Ferries to be either. Sure, they should be trying to make money to be somewhat self sustainable, but to let it out to a company that only cares about boosting their stock value - forget it.
