Meetings Today: State Transportation Commission Issues Five-Point Ferry Tariff Proposal

From the San Juan Ferry Advisory Committee

The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) today released its proposal for changes to current ferry fares. There are five components to this proposal:

1. Fare increases of 2.5% proposed for Oct 1, and an additional 3% for next May 1;
2. A change to vehicle size categories: A new category for vehicles less than 14 feet with a lower fare, and redefining the “standard” vehicle as 14-22 feet, rather than 20 feet;
3. Changes to the bicycle surcharge;
4. A fuel surcharge, up to a maximum of 10%, triggered by a fuel price above a certain level;
5. Addition of a 25 cent per fare surcharge, dedicated to vessel replacement (required by recent legislation).

The Commission will hold public outreach meetings at several ferry-served communities to gather input on the proposal. Two meetings are scheduled for the San Juan Islands:

Monday July 25, on the Interisland Boat from 2:15 – 5:05 p.m

And also on Monday July 25, in Friday Harbor from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the San Juan County Council Legislative Building (video streaming will NOT be available).

The San Juan County FAC fully supports the idea of a fare structure that would encourage the use of smaller cars, but we also believe that the current vehicle-length proposal has not been adequately studied or discussed, and is flawed, and therefore urge the Commission to postpone action on this item.

The vehicle-length proposal is to be revenue-neutral, which means that it does not help the current budget issue. And being revenue neutral, any reduction in fares for smaller vehicles must be offset by an increase in fares for other vehicles. Additionally, extending the standard vehicle fare from the long-standing 20 feet to 22 feet encourages larger cars, not smaller, and also represents a fare increase for standard-sized vehicles.

Besides the effect on fares, there are also operational issues involving vehicle measurement, which we believe have not been adequately considered. Vehicle fares are collected westbound, not just in Anacortes but also at the terminals on Lopez, Shaw and Orcas island for westbound travel. Each of those terminals will be affected, and the need to measure or check vehicle length will likely result in delays and may impact on-time performance and vessel schedules.

These proposals affect everyone, and we encourage attendance at the upcoming meetings.

The San Juan County FAC web page is here: https://sanjuanco.com/fac

The WSTC web page for this fare proposal is here:
https://wstc.wa.gov/Rates/FerryFares/FerryFareProposal/default.htm