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BC Ferries hiking fuel surcharges

Ferry fares will rise by 2.5 percent on Dec. 12 on the major routes as B.C. Ferry Services Inc. adds to the fuel surcharge.

A press release attributes the hike to the rising cost of marine diesel fuel. The company expects to spend $120 million on fuel in the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

The increase takes the fuel surcharge to five percent on the major routes between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

The publicly owned company also added a 2.5 percent fuel surcharge to fares on the Horseshoe Bay - Langdale route. The fuel surcharge on the minor routes were already at five percent and remain there.

The company's most recent quarterly financial statements showed that while revenue was steady, expenses were rising while the number of passengers has been dropping.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.

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