Province releases figures for Yarmouth-Maine ferry
Public Works Minister Kim Masland mentioned Friday the figures she launched on ferry site visitors between Nova Scotia and Maine solely acquired to her division late the night time earlier than.
The figures Masland mentioned have been submitted by Bay Ferries present that on the 16 days of operation between Might 19 and June 16, 1,661 passengers and 762 automobiles sailed from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, whereas 1127 passengers and 561 automobiles travelled from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor.
“Our authorities feels very strongly that Bay Ferries owes it to Nova Scotians to be totally clear about how the service is performing,” Masland mentioned in a information launch.
“We’ve got requested that the operator present day by day updates on its web site going ahead, however the operator has declined. For this reason we’re offering these numbers immediately at present. If Bay Ferries won’t be totally clear, we actually shall be,” the minister mentioned.
“This authorities is certain to a contract entered into by a earlier authorities. I wish to guarantee Nova Scotians that I’ll do all the pieces doable to verify Bay Ferries Restricted is clear and accountable to Nova Scotians.”
Quickly after the federal government announcement, Bay Ferries mentioned in an announcement that it had been contacted at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday by the province requesting statistics for the service.
“This was the primary such request our firm had acquired,” mentioned the discharge.
“Shortly thereafter (a number of minutes later), that info was supplied to the Province.”
Quoting an e mail it mentioned was despatched to a Public Works Division official Thursday night time, Bay Ferries reiterated that it “didn’t need early season information to be misinterpreted as indicative of general prospects, given the quantity of funding within the service.”
Referencing an e mail it mentioned was despatched to the federal government Friday morning, Bay Ferries mentioned “that is to verify that our firm was ready to rearrange for the issuance of a launch at present chatting with our method to disclosure of gross sales thus far, offering up-to-date numbers as to precise passengers and automobiles transported this yr, and committing to promptly finalizing with authorities a construction for well timed launch of each gross sales and precise info going ahead. I perceive this method was not acceptable to the Province.”
Beneath the phrases of a 10-year contract signed on March 31, 2018, Bay Ferries is accountable for advertising and marketing the ferry and promoting tickets.
The corporate has mentioned about 15,100 passengers had purchased tickets to journey someday throughout the 2022 working season, a quantity the corporate described as according to pre-pandemic patterns at this stage of the season.
