Southern Moreton Bay Islands ferry users will be hit with two waves of fare rises in the next four months.
The first will come in nine days time when a one way fare will go from $7.70 to $8.40--a rise of nine percent
All other fares are affected with the Adult 40 trip multi-ticket at $258.80, a rise of 8.28%
But the real shock is with the inter-island ferry prices that have risen by over a half with the new single costing $2.40 and the Return 10 $19.60. Since September 2008 the inter-island charge has risen by 85% and may well rise again in April.
Exactly how much all fares will rise again on April 17 is not known.
The first that islanders knew of this was on Friday when a sign appeared at the ferry terminals saying that the increases had been approved by Queensland Transport and Main Roads.
While the increases for January were displayed on the ferries no further information was available on the Transit Systems Australia website as promised.
The last wave of BITs fare increases were in 15 September 2008 and in 2 March 2009. Then the price for the adult one way rose from $6.60 to $7.20(9%) and then to $7.70(6.94%)
At the time the operating company said that the company felt that it could no longer absorb the increases in running costs. The increases are in line with those granted to other ferry operators in Queensland.
This time around the Brisbane Terminal Gate Price for Diesel has fallen from $1.58 a litre at the last price hike to $1.08 on New Year's eve--a drop of 31.5%.
Build a bridge to solve problem. Cost of a toll of at least $2.00 each way would cover costs and islanders would have more freedom on and off the island. How can a pensioner afford these ridiculous fares or a family.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more! When we first purchased our property in 2003 the barge fares were something like $24.00. Now I think it is up around the $80.00 mark.Initially we thought a bridge would detract from the unique flavour of the islands but now it is unaffordable to travel back and forth. So bring on the bridge. Or perhaps a bit of competition from another transport provider would be in order.
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