Final public hearing coming on ferry fare increase

Bainbridge ferry riders and others interested in state ferries will have one more chance to comment on a proposal to raise ferry fares.

The Washington State Transportation Commission will hold a hearing in Seattle where commission members will take public comment and then vote on proposed changes. The proposal includes increasing ferry fares over the next two years and increasing a surcharge that funds new ferries.

The commission’s hearing on the fare proposal is 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Aug. 6, at the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Board Room, 1011 Western Ave., Suite 500, Seattle.

The commission released its fare-hike proposal at the end of June. Ferry fares must generate $407 million in revenue between July 2019 and June 30, 2021, as required in the recently passed two-year state transportation budget for Washington State Ferries operations.

The chances include:

• A proposed fare increase for Oct. 1, 2019;

• A 2.5 percent fare increase for vehicles;

• An additional 5 percent fare increase for oversize vehicles on the Anacortes/ Sidney, B.C., route;

• A 2 percent fare increase for passengers;

• An increase of the reservation no-show fee up to 100 percent of the one-way fare paid, based on a standard-sized vehicle;

• A proposed fare increase for May 1, 2020;

• A 2.5 percent fare increase for vehicles;

• An additional 5 percent fare increase for oversize vehicles on the Anacortes/ Sidney, B.C., route;

• A 2 percent fare increase for passengers; and

• A 25-cent increase for the capital surcharge, dedicated to the construction of a new vessel.