The group Bowen Islanders for Ferry Fairness (BIFF) will continue to work toward better ferry services and lower fares.
“We came together in order to organize protests,” says BIFF organizer Maureen Nicholson. “Going forward, we don’t see more protests as the best use of time, but there is a lot of other work to be done. We want to keep Bowen Islanders informed about what’s happening in other communities, for example.”
Nicholson says that as an example of important action in other communities, on Gabriola Island and Quadra Island, the ferry advisory committees are soliciting information from local residents about the real impact of cuts and rate hikes on their lives. They have also asked the provincial Minister of Transportation, Todd Stone, and all Islands Trust area MLAs for an economic impact study relating to the changes to BC Ferries.
Nicholson says that members of BIFF are also gearing up to launch a campaign to highlight the impact of high fares and service cuts on families.
Other BIFF members are continuing research into the possibilities of home-porting the Queen of Capilano on Bowen.
The group also wants to encourage the Bowen Island Municipal Transportation Advisory Committee to broaden its membership to include members representing daily commuters or young families.
Nicholson says that the latest traffic statistics for BC Ferries indicate that rising fares are having a major impact, and that impact is likely to result in further changes to service down the road.
“Ridership keeps dropping. The number of people taking vehicles back and forth between Snug Cove and Horseshoe Bay is down almost two percent from last year. This is a trend on all routes,” says Nicholson. “This leaves us in a situation where we are going to be told, I think, that the ferries are underutilized and we’re likely to see a continued downward spiral: more service cuts, more rate hikes. With this in mind, I think it’s important that we continue to fight against that.”
