By Meredith M. Griffith

Sounder contributor

Ferry fares will be going up again this fall.

The Washington State Transportation Commission voted unanimously on Aug. 4 to raise ferry fares, spurred on by a directive in the 2015-2017 state transportation budget that requires Washington State Ferries to generate an additional $8.1 million between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2017.

“I think people understand that the legislature sets the expectation for how much ferry users need to contribute to ferry operations,” Paul Parker, the commission’s deputy director, told the Sounder. “The question facing the commission is, how is that $8.1 million raised?”

Beginning on Oct. 1, car and driver ferry tickets will cost 2.5 percent more, and passenger tickets will cost 1 percent more. The fares are scheduled to see an identical increase again in May 2016. The commission expects the fare hikes to help generate the $357 million required by the 2015-17 state transportation budget.

The commission’s stated goal is to increase walk-on ridership over vehicles by raising passenger fares less than vehicle fares. This differential fare increase was proposed in 2013. In October 2013, vehicle fares were raised 3 percent, while passenger fares only rose by two percent. In May 2014, vehicle fares rose another 2-and-a-half percent, while passenger fares rose just 2 percent.

“Growing the gap between vehicle and passenger fares is following the Washington Transportation Plan and the WSF/WSTC Joint Recommendations on Operational and Pricing Strategies,” noted the commission  in its Aug. 4 presentation.

Parker said that most Ferry Advisory Committee members publicly opposed the differential fare increase policy, but said “their recommendations didn’t mesh with the approach that was taken.”

When queried about islanders who often depend on their vehicles to retrieve substantial quantities of essential goods  like food  from the mainland, Parker answered, “It probably works a bit differently for those in the central Puget Sound area than in the San Juan Islands. The commission certainly understands the differences between the San Juans and Vashon as places where people are totally reliant upon the ferry system to get on and off island.”

But in defense of the differential policy, he added, “It’s obviously very expensive to build vessels that can carry cars; there is limited capacity for vehicles, but there is always excess capacity for people, so the legislature has directed the ferry system and commission to look at ways to increase the utilization of the passenger deck. That’s the rationale.”

While fares for most will rise in October, a few drivers will get a small reprieve: the current surcharge for over-height vehicles under 22 feet in length will be dropped. Also, qualifying disability vehicles from 22- to 30-feet long will be allowed greater leeway, with surcharges waived for any over-height vehicle features needed to accommodate disabilities.

Height regulations for other large vehicles will actually tighten by five inches in May 2016, when the over-height fare threshold for vehicles 22- to 30-feet long will be reduced from the current 7 feet, 6 inches, to 7 feet, 2 inches. This change will help WSF to better allocate available space, because the Jumbo, Super, Olympic and Issaquah-class ferries all have a lower-wing height limit of between 7 feet, 2 inches and 7 feet, 4 inches. On these vessels, vehicles just under 7 feet, 6 inches must be loaded in the vessels’ taller spaces, but don’t yet pay extra for the privilege.

The commission took public input during three outreach meetings in early July on Friday Harbor, Whidbey Island and Bremerton. The Friday Harbor meeting was streamed live in real-time on the Internet for observation, and questions were taken via email during the meeting. The WSTC also held a virtual, online meeting, and took additional input during the final Aug. 4 hearing. The San Juan Island event saw just three members of the public and three county commissioners; Clinton and Bremerton had 12 attendees each; and one person attended the online meeting and the final hearing. As of Aug. 4, the commission had received a total of 32 online comments and one phone call. According to the commission, comments included opposition to the fare increase, and opinions that walk-on passengers, island residents and/or regular commuters should pay lower ridership costs.

The commission also notes that this is the third consecutive two-year budget proposal to enact two-tiered increases in October and May, as seen in the 2011 and 2013 ferry fare hikes.

To share your thoughts, visit the Voice of Washington State website at www.voiceofwashingtonstate.org/. The site is designed to gather public input through online forums and survey panels, and the commission says ideas and data will be shared with the Washington state governor and legislature. Other key contacts are WSTC Executive Director Reema Griffith, at (360) 705-7070 or griffir@wstc.wa.gov; and WSDOT Ferries Division Planning Director Ray Deardorf, at (206) 515-3491 or deardorf@wsdot.wa.gov. For more information on the WSTC, visit www.wstc.wa.gov.