Fare or unfare?

"The Williams Government," we learned yesterday, "has made a significant step in delivering on its Blueprint promise to reduce provincial ferry rates and bring them in line with the cost of highway travel."

Willliams Government gave the following example:

St. Barbe-Blanc Sablon, (vehicle-plus driver, return), reduced by $17.50 from $68.00 to $50.50

And Williams Government expressed a hope — hope really does spring eternal:

"We are hopeful that the Government of Canada will look at what our province is doing to make rates more equitable and reasonable for travelers, and apply it to the way in which they manage and apply rates to Marine Atlantic."

To which Stephen Harper should promptly reply to Williams Government: "done!"

The new Strait of Belle Isle tariff of $50.50 for a return trip by car and driver works out to $1.34 per nautical mile, or $0.72 per kilometre for a one-way trip.

Marine Atlantic's two remaining services, connecting Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, are both cheaper for the distance. For the same car and driver in the example above, the Port aux Basques run is, at current rates, $0.59 per kilometer, and the Argentia run, $0.46 per kilometre, again, one-way.

In fact, of all the major auto ferries in Canada, only the three Sir Robert Bond routes (Goose Bay-Lewisporte, Lewisporte-Cartwright, Cartwright-Goose Bay), and one off-peak Vancouver Island discount fare, are cheaper, for the distance, than the Marine Atlantic Argentia run. One other off-peak Vancouver Island discount fare, and off-peak fare for the Souris ferry to the Magdalen Islands, are the only other ones cheaper, for the distance, than the Port aux Basques run.

Marine Atlantic is, per nautical mile, cheaper than every other major Canadian. Cheaper than all of BC Ferries Vancouver Island and coastal services. Cheaper than all of the St. Lawrence River ferries, public and private. Cheaper than the Magdalen Islands runs, and the various services which connect Maine and the Maritimes.

And the Confederation Bridge? $1.57 per kilometre for half a return trip.