The Yarmouth ferry is set to start its sailing season, following a unanimous vote from Portland, Maine, council in favour of a lease agreement with Bay Ferries.
The Monday evening vote was the last bureaucratic hurdle for Bay Ferries to start its sailing season between Yarmouth and Portland in June. The lease allows Bay Ferries to dock the CAT Ferry between 1:30 and 3:00 p.m. daily. In 2016, the ferry will run from June 15 to September 30.
Bay Ferries’ lease agreement also covers the 2017 sailing season, with the option to renew for a third year. The lease allows for passenger cars, recreational vehicles, and tour buses, but no transport trucks.
The provincial Liberals announced the deal for a new Yarmouth ferry in March. The ferry is expected to cost Nova Scotia taxpayers $23.3 million in its first year of service. In its second year it’s expected to cost taxpayers $9.4 million. The final eight years of the agreement haven’t been publicly costed out by the government.
The Tories have criticized the deal as a “blank cheque” for Bay Ferries, but the service is also touted as a crucial element of the southern Nova Scotia economy. The CAT is replacing the Nova Star ferry which operated for two years.
Blackout dates
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Already the lease stipulates nine blackout days in August and September when the CAT won’t be able to dock in Portland. The ferry can’t dock on those dates because of how busy the harbour is already scheduled to be. However, the lease says Bay Ferries can request that boats be relocated to other berths so the CAT can still operate on those days — but there’s no guarantee that would be approved.
The lease says its possible four of the blackout days in September could be removed from the list. Portland can also add other blackout dates, provided it gives Bay Ferries 30 days notice.
Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie says the blackout days will ultimately cost taxpayers more, because it shortens the time frame for Bay Ferries to sell tickets.
“Literally thousands of seat capacity days are gone, that we need if we’re ever going to make this boat work,” Baillie said. “Because they’re taken off the table, taxpayers will pay even more.”
If the nine blackout days remain, that would reduce the number of operating days by roughly eight per cent. The total operating season is supposed to be 107 days, but the blackouts will reduce that number.
Lease costs
The base cost of the lease is $92,918.40 — that covers the operating months at $15,229.60 per month and $4,000 for each of the off-season months.
Additional costs will be incurred depending on the number of passengers, vehicles, and vehicles types. For example, Bay Ferries will pay $2 for each of the first 60,000 passengers serviced and $3.50 for each of the subsequent passengers. Meantime a fee of $1 will be charged per motorcycle, and the first 60,000 passenger vehicles will cost an additional $3 each.
Bay Ferries is expecting to service 60,000 passengers in 2016, meaning an additional cost to the company of $120,000.
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