BC Ferries eyes up route "efficiencies"

Last week, BC Ferries produced a document entitled Opportunities for Enhanced Efficiency in Performance Term Three to the BC Ferry Commissioner, as part of their Performance Term Three Submission, from which the Commissioner determines price caps for each of the route groups for a four-year period from 2010 until 2016.

Emphasising that these opportunities for enhanced efficiency are not, in fact BC Ferries' proposals, but are "matters of public policy for consideration", the report goes on to propose the scrapping of two southern routes and significant changes to several others. Among the changes suggested is the following:

• Elimination of Route 12 (Mill Bay - Brentwood Bay) - avoiding expenditure of $2.3 million on refurbishing MV Klitsa (to replace the 53 year old MV Mill Bay) and saving $2.8 million in terminal upgrades at Mill Bay and Brentwood Bay
• Changing the terminal for Route 19 (Nanaimo Harbour - Gabriola Island) to Duke Point, to reduce journey time, despite the recent rejection of this proposal by island residents.
• Elimination or restructuring of Route 9 (Tsawwassen - Southern Gulf Islands) and closure of the Long Harbour terminal - avoiding over $100 million in vessel replacement costs for MV Queen of Nanaimo and leading to closure of the Long Harbour terminal
• Inclusion of Route 3 (Horseshoe Bay - Langdale) as part of the major route network, releasing up to $5m of subsidy for the minor routes .... with "greater flexibility" of service levels on Route 3.
• Reductions in off-peak services on Route 30 (Tsawwassen - Duke Point) on Saturday evenings and Sundays, coupled with the early closure of the Departure Bay terminal on Saturdays and evening sailings on Route 2 to and from Horseshoe Bay diverted to Duke Point.

The full text of BC Ferries' submission can be read here.