B.C. Ferries is more than doubling its fuel surcharge starting June 1

B.C. Ferries is more than doubling its fuel surchargestarting June 1, citing rising fuel costs.

The surcharge will rise from oneper cent to 2.5 per cent, the ferry operator said Monday.

It said the surcharge will add45 centsto an adult fare and$2 for a vehicle and driver travelling on routes betweenMetro Vancouver andVancouver Island;and 25 cents for an adult fareand $1.05 for a vehicle and driver on a number of inter-island routes.

"We certainly don't like putting in a fuel surcharge," B.C. Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall told host Michelle Eliot onBCToday.

"We know that nobody likes to paymore for any of their goods, but we are in a situation where we do have to implement a higher fuelsurcharge going forward because we are paying higher prices for fuel."

The company said over the past 18yearsit has useda fuel rebate and surcharge system to managethe ups and downs of fuel prices. When fuel prices are low, savings are passed on to customers, and conversely when prices go up, a surcharge is added, it said.

As of June 1, the 2.5 per cent fuel charge will also beappliedon three routes Port Hardy-Prince Rupert, Prince Rupert-Haida Gwaii andPort Hardy-Central Coast where there is currently no surcharge.