Drop in BC Ferries ridership due to Easter weekend: expert
Posted May 31, 2013 11:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Blame it on the calendar, not the fare bump at BC Ferries.
An expert has a simple explanation for April’s drop in rider numbers.
All major routes saw a dip in vehicle and passenger numbers for April compared to last year, but Tourism Consultant Frank Bourree says that’s because Easter weekend, which is one of the busiest for BC Ferries, fell in March this year.
“It’s a bit of an anomaly with Easter falling in a different month this year. Easter’s a huge traffic pattern for BC Ferries. So, it makes quite a difference when you put the two months together,” he tells us.
Bourree says things are actually about to improve for the BC Ferries, after years of challenges. “We’re starting to see a bit of a flattening of those declines. We’re optimistic that this year, we’re going to start to see some increases, particularly with some uptick from the US market that’s starting to happen.”
As for this spring’s numbers, Bourree says when you put March and April together, there’s almost two per cent increase for the major routes.
