The price of traveling by ferry in Cascadia continues to rise as government funding fails to keep pace with demand.
This week, fares on B.C. Ferries’ major routes to Vancouver Island rose 2.8 percent and fares on smaller routes in the Gulf Islands climbed 4.4 percent. Commercial rates are expected to rise next month. Fares already increased earlier this year to cover then-rising fuel costs.
Meanwhile Washington State Ferries, which increased fares by 6 percent in March, is considering another hike of 5 to 20 percent. This month the system will start charging for wi-fi Internet access, a service used by thousands of commuters. It will soon cost $29.95 a month.
It’s unclear why ferry users are expected to pay directly for for transportation infrastructure while drivers get free use of the region’s clogged roads. B.C.’s transportation minister said the increases won’t affect the economy and dismissed complaints, saying people will adjust.
Comments
3 responses to “Ferry riders forced to pay steadily more”
While driving infrastructure is certainly subsidized, many costs such as the vehicle, insurance, and fuel are certainly paid directly. Just as these costs escalate for drivers they should do the same for ferry passengers.
I agree that subsidies for driving are a huge problem, but reducing those subsidies should be the goal, not boosting others in the name of parity.
In Washington, ferry riders are expected to pay directly for transportation infrastructure in large part due to the passage of I-695 in 1999 which repealed a one of Washington’s few progressive taxes – car tab registration. It seems like we should be increasing subsidies, not in the name of parity, but to encourage alternative modes of transportation. Bremerton Ferry or single-occupancy vehicle Tacoma Narrows bridge?
The new Tacoma Narrows will have a toll. So the question is how to encourage more efficiency. Strategic subsidies for ferries and other forms of transit could encourage a critical mass of passengers. Tolls should be used on newly expanded highways and congestion will increasingly be a form of toll on free highways.