A drop in oil prices this week also signaled a break at the gas pumps, with many stations across B.C. selling gas for 20 cents cheaper a litre than earlier in the week.

The airline industry adjusted accordingly, with both WestJet and Air Canada announcing they would drop fuel surcharges because of cheaper oil costs.

But B.C. Ferries - who purchase millions of litres a year to fuel its fleet - have no plans of dropping the fuel surcharge right away.

Change takes time: Hahn

CEO David Hahn says the corporation can't make changes overnight the way airlines can.

"If we could raise them as quickly as the gas stations do we would lower them as quickly too - but we don't have that benefit," Hahn tells CTV News.

Since August, BC Ferries passengers have been paying fuel surcharges of up to 18 per cent on the ticket price to help cover the rising price of oil.

Hahn said the company has started the process of looking into removing the surcharge.

"We started the process about three or four days ago when we saw that rapid drop," he said. "Ideally we'd like to announce something in the next few weeks and have something for the November timeframe at the latest."

Critics speak out

Maureen Karagiani, a provincial transportation critic for the NDP, says that's not good enough.

"What's the delay? There's no reason not to do it immediately," says Karagiani.

"Every time we've been told the surcharge was tied to gas prices we've seen the government be very slow to take that surcharge off when gas prices go down," she says.

A marketing professor from B.C.'s Simon Fraser University suspects the surcharges aren't really tied to fuel at all, but is just a good excuse to raise fares.

"As soon as you see surcharges that go up and don't go down basically it's a little grab that hits to the bottom line - it's called profitability," says SFU's Lindsay Meredith.

"Its one more way of getting a price hike in on a consumer - but guess what? Consumers aren't stupid, they notice these things too."

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson.