| That’s not the Spirit

SPIRIT of Tasmania operator TT-Line has been accused of hiking its fares, despite recently receiving a $6 million federal government subsidy designed to make trips more affordable.

Passenger vehicles on the Spirit of Tasmania are subsidised under an equalisation scheme designed to even the cost of taking a car across Bass Strait to driving the same distance on the national highway network, and last month, a funding agreement was struck to allow tourists to bring a car or motorbike to Tasmania aboard the ferry free of charge in a bid to encourage visitation to the state.

However, some passengers have told the ABC those savings are not being passed onto travellers, and that fare prices are being hiked by TT-Line.

In question time on Thu, MP for Clark Andrew Wilkie asked Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack to investigate the claims, saying it would be “state sanctioned misuse of federal funding, a rip-off, and another blow to the Tasmanian economy and tourism sector”.

TT-Line told the ABC it had not increased its pricing structure since the introduction of the Government’s passenger vehicle rebate, saying fares fluctuate on each sailing depending on demand and availability, and that prices were not guaranteed until payment is processed.