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BC Ferries has announced that it will be lowering the fuel rebate on all minor routes later this month.

Effective January 25th, the fuel rebate on all its 17 minor routes will be cut from 10 percent to 5 percent on average.

BC Ferries said the decision had been made to reduce the fuel rebate on these routes due to higher bunker prices.

The fuel rebate on the Horseshoe Bay – Langdale route will remain unchanged at 2 per cent on average.

Annual Bunker Costs

According to BC Ferries, its annual fuel costs have risen in recent years from $45.9 million in 2003 to $86.8 million in 2008.

The company's fuel costs for the 2008/09 period was calculated to be approximately $120 million.