What's New

April 20, 2008
Commission Responds To Newspaper Editorial

The April 16 North Shore News editorial links this month’s increases in fare caps and BC Ferries directors’ pay raises, and asks the commissioner for reassurance that both  are in the public interest. In today’s two-page reply to the editor of the North Shore News, the commissioner states in part that:

  • the above-inflation directors’ raises were not factored into the fare caps;
  • the fare caps meet statutory principles and are in the public interest; and
  • it is not the commission’s role to justify or approve the directors’ raises, or decide if they are in the public interest.

    • March 27, 2008
    BC Ferries Provides Its Alternative Service Providers (ASP) Plan for Performance Term Two

    In its submission today, titled Additional or Alternative Service Providers Plan: Second Performance Term, BC Ferries reviews experience in the first performance term (2003-2008), indicates lessons learned, and describes how it will seek ASPs in the second term (2008-2012).

    The company states that as time and resources permit, certain additional routes would be offered for alternative service delivery:

  • Campbell River-Quadra Island and Quadra Island-Cortes Island
  • Port McNeil-Sointula-Alert Bay

    • For a timeline of developments in alternative service delivery, see the page ASP Plan Milestones on this web site.

    March 6, 2008
    Quarterly Data on Fares versus Caps, Service Quality, Are Published

    Now published are updated graphs tracking BC Ferries’ actual fares compared to price caps through December 31 2007. BC Ferries remains in compliance.

    You will also find the latest service quality report, to December 31 2007. This covers on-time performance, percentage of sailings departing full (implying customers were left behind for a later sailing) and the number of actual sailings made, versus the service requirement, by route.

    January 17, 2008
    Commission Allows BC Ferries to Exceed Price Cap for Two Consecutive Quarters

    The Commission checks that BC Ferries’ average fare is within the price cap every quarter-year. Normally the Commission permits the average fare to go over the price cap for just one quarter before requiring BC Ferries to return all excess revenue to customers (through lower-than-otherwise fares) in the very next quarter after the overage.   At BC Ferries’ request the Commission has agreed to a one-time extension of this “grace period” to two consecutive quarters for the upcoming measurement point at March 31 2008.  Commission Memorandum 27 explains why.

    December 14, 2007
    Commission Details Calculation of Allowed Return on Equity for BC Ferries for Performance Term Two

    The Commission provides details, in its Memorandum 25, for the 13.16% per annum pre-tax return on equity allowed for BC Ferries. This return is built into the price cap ruling for performance term two, being the four years beginning April 1 2008.

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