Commissioners visit to get reaction on proposed ferry fare increase

July 5, 2017 6:30 am
Commissioners visit to get reaction on proposed ferry fare increase

State transportation officials have plans to raise ferry fares in October and also again in October 2019, and will hold a meeting next week to get feedback from Bainbridge Island residents on the proposal.

The meeting is 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 6 at Waterfront Park Community Center.

Officials say raising fares is necessary to meet the mandate of the Legislature’s two-year state transportation budget for Washington State Ferry operations, set at $381 million in operating revenue for July 2017 through June 2019.

Fares to be changed this year include:

• 2.9 percent fare increase for small and standard sized vehicles;

• 0.8 percent to 1.8 percent fare increase for oversized vehicles (22 feet and longer), depending on vehicle size;

• 2.5 percent fare increase for passengers.

Fares to be changed next year include:

• 2.5 percent fare increase for small and standard sized vehicles;

• 2.1 percent fare increase for passengers; and

• School group passengers fare will increase from $1 per group for a one-way trip to $5 per group for a one-way trip.

Next week’s meeting on Bainbridge is hosted by the Washington State Transportation Commission, which developed the fare proposal after input from WSF and the Ferry Advisory Committee on Tariffs.

The Bainbridge meeting is the first of four in-person public input sessions that commissioners will host.

Following meetings are planned for Friday Harbor, Whidbey and Vashon islands.

The commission will hold its final hearing on the proposed new fares at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 26, at the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Board Room, 1011 Western Ave., Suite 500, Seattle.

Officials note commissioners are expected to vote on the final fare and policy changes at that hearing.

People can also comment on the fare increases online or via email.

The online comment form on the commission’s website is under “contact us”: wstc.wa.gov/ContactUs/feedback.htm

Emails — with “Ferry Fares” in the subject line — should go to transc@wstc.wa.gov.

Comments can also be mailed to Washington State Transportation Commission, PO Box 47308, Olympia, WA 98504-7308.

More details on the ferry fare proposal can be found at www.wstc.wa.gov.