Foot Ferries sold; cash or cards only for tickets

Washington State Ferries (WSF) recently announced that next month, ferry riders can expect to see changes in fare collection. Checks and Canadian currency will no longer be allowed in payment for crossing tickets, beginning Wednesday, Feb. 25,

In addition, the Senior/Disabled Passenger fare will be split into two categories.

Discounted, single round-trip fares (senior, disabled and youth) will be eliminated from kiosks at WSF terminals and from the WSF Web site (discounted fares will still be available at tollbooths).

Eliminating checks will save as much as $50,000 annually in processing fees, WSF officials claim. Customers who use checks are encouraged to use other forms of payment accepted by WSF including cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, debit cards, traveler’s checks and money orders.

WSF is separating the current Senior/Disabled Passenger fare into two single categories (Senior or Disabled) and is offering new ReValue cards for senior passengers or disabled passengers. By signing up for the ReValue card online, customers can avoid extra trips to the ticket booth and extra online transactions when purchasing fares. ReValue cards automatically replenish, charging a credit card every 90 days or when all of the trips are used. The new senior or disabled ReValue cards are good for five round-trips in 90 days. WSF will continue to honor Senior/Disabled Convenience Cards purchased prior to Feb. 25 until Oct. 10, 2009.

For more information on these changes and the new ReValue cards for senior or disabled passengers, call 1-888-808-7977 or visit the WSF Wave2Go store online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/wave2go/ beginning Feb. 25.

In other news, The Washington State Department of Transportation finalized the sale of the passenger-only fast ferries Chinook and Snohomish to the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District of Larkspur, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 16. The total sale price for the two vessels was $4 million.

The Washington State Legislature voted in 2006 to end state funding for passenger-only ferries. In 2007, the Legislature directed WSDOT’s Ferries Division to sell the Chinook and Snohomish and deposit the sale proceeds into a passenger ferry account. The proceeds from the sale will be used to help fund county-run passenger-only ferry service.

The Chinook and Snohomish were built in the late 1990s and provided passenger-only service between Seattle and Bremerton from 1998 to 2003. Golden Gate has up to 90 days after close of escrow to remove the vessels from WSF’s Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility.