The freeze on ferry fares is thawing.
When the state transportation budget was approved this past spring, it called for a 2.5 percent fare increase for all routes, which is set to go in effect on Oct. 1. Since then, the transportation commission has proposed two new items: a five percent additional increase for San Juan inter-island fares and a “super summer surcharge,” which would be a 10 percent higher fare for single tickets (not a multi-ride book) in July and August.
San Juan County Ferry Advisory Committee chair Ed Sutton doesn’t particularly like either proposal.
“It’s not going to raise a significant amount of money for the ferries, so why stick people’s face in the dirt?” he said.
The transportation commission is holding three public meetings, one of which will be aboard the inter-island ferry on Monday, Aug. 31. The boat departs Friday Harbor at 11:35 a.m., gets to Orcas at 12:30, Shaw at 12:45, and Lopez at 1:05 p.m.
“It’s really important we get people to turn out,” Sutton said. “The cork is out of the bottle again. The ferries are losing even more money, partly because of oil prices.”
Sutton supports a super summer surcharge – but not for commercial traffic. He says studies show visitors to the San Juans aren’t opposed to paying a little more in the summer, but commercial trucks, who aren’t eligible to buy a frequent user book, would be heavily impacted.
“If it affects the commercial traffic, our tomatoes will be $5 a pound,” Sutton said.
Two more meetings are scheduled for September:
- 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1 in Silverdale at the Silverdale Beach Hotel, 3073 NW Bucklin Hill Road
- 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2 on Vashon Island at McMurray Middle School’s Multipurpose room, 9329 Cemetery Road, Vashon Island
More information is available on the WSTC’s Web site.
