BC Ferries says earnings are way up.
But a group fighting cuts and fare increases says it’s being done on the backs of people who have no choice but to take ferries.
Ferries says it had net earnings of $13.9-million from April through June, compared to $4.3-million in the first quarter of 2013.
The company says higher fares, fees and fuel surcharges are part of the reason.
Jef Keighley of the BC Ferry Coalition says those higher fares are being paid by people who have no option, and are getting angrier every day.
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Because of the cuts, BC Ferries ran 3-thousand fewer sailings than it did in the first quarter of 2013. The company also says vehicle traffic was down about 0.4 per cent, but passengers numbers went up by roughly the same amount.
(See all the numbers here).
