Are we caught between a dock and a hard spot?

— by Lin McNulty, Orcas Issues Managing Editor —

What if you’re not sure when you need that return ferry from the mainland because you don’t know how long that doctor appointment might take, especially if they want to do labs or imaging? After a long day on the mainland, the most important thing in the world just might be getting on that ferry to go home.

It seems some islanders have figured out how to make sure there is space on a future ferry at just the right time, even though they may not know when that right time might be.

Without promoting (although we may reveal) the method used by many (if not all) to ensure there is a reservation at that exact moment you need it, let’s just say that worst case scenario is that you will pay a $10 no-show penalty for the reservation that you made and didn’t use. That seems to be an acceptable risk for some (many?) if you happen to miss your assigned sailing.

System-wide, no-shows on reservation routes have more than doubled from 23,925 in 2015 to 64,595 in 2018, while the Orcas sailings top the system-wide chart at 9.2% of our reservations, or an average of 33.3 no-shows per day for all Orcas sailings.

The Washington State Transportation Commission, however, is currently considering an increase to the no-show fee to serve as both a deterrent to the practice and benefit customers by making more reservations available for those who intend to use them. The proposed increase for missing a reservation is slated to be $18, up from the current $10. The State currently collects nearly $700,000 per year from no-show fees.

You can learn more about the proposal and share your feedback with the Commission directly at https://ferryfarecomments.participate.online/.

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