Ferry commuters see red over fare rise

Gulf Harbour ferry commuters' joy at winning a two-month extension for the ailing service turned to anger on Friday night when the operator dropped the bombshell of a 59 per cent price increase.

Fullers Group said that the commuters' 40-trip ticket would rise from $220 to $350 from January 15.

The increase comes two days after the Auckland Regional Council boosted its subsidy to Fullers from $8 to $11.50 a passenger for each Gulf Harbour trip.

Users group spokesman Andy Hallinon said: "If anyone wanted to kill the service, it's a good way of going about it ... It's nearly four times the bus fare."

He said the price rise was a cruel blow to those who thought they had been given two months to try to recruit more users.

The chief executive of Fullers Group, Chris Bradley, said yesterday that the new fares were based on the maximum fare schedule set by the Auckland Regional Council, the increased subsidy, and the sum required to make the service worthwhile based on the past three months' patronage.

"This just reflects that 35 people on average used the service." It was a $3 million boat, and the cost of fuel had risen 138 per cent since May last year.

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