Source : Perth Now news
Passengers on Spirit of Tasmania ferries have been hit with a steep increase in ticket prices as fuel costs soar.
A 15 per cent fuel surcharge on all new tickets has been announced for the ferry service between Victoria and Tasmania.
TT-Line chairman Ken Kanofski said the rise in fuel prices by 80 per cent has left the company facing a whopping $50m in projected losses.
“Such increases are unsustainable for any transport business, which explains why fuel levies are being introduced across the industry,” Mr Kanofski said.
The increase will cost a family of four, travelling with a car and caravan, an extra $228 each way.
Two adults in a standard car will cough up an extra $107.
Two adults and two children in a porthole cabin with a high vehicle will pay an additional $147.
Passengers who already have tickets will not be affected, with TT-Line emphasising the measure is temporary and will be reviewed regularly.
The extra surcharges were not intended to generate profit, Mr Kanofski said.
“TT-Line has set it as a partial recovery, considering the effects on customers and Tasmania’s tourism industry,” he said.
However, the surcharge could stick around.
The company has flagged the levy could remain in place even after fuel prices drop, to “distribute costs and reduce the impost on individual passengers”.
Freight customers already pay a fuel levy under existing contracts, which TT-Line said was standard practice across the transport industry.
The state-owned ferry operator said it would report additional fuel expenses and revenue collected from the levy to its shareholder ministers.
The move comes as transport operators across Australia grapple with soaring fuel costs, with similar surcharges rolled out across the aviation and shipping sectors.
