Fares on Massachusetts' Steamship Authority ferries may rise again in 2027, with one preliminary scenario adding up to $17 to a one-way summer trip for a non-Islander car.
Much of the pressure comes from the fuel budget: officials expect fuel spending in 2027 to be about $4.9 million higher, a 43% increase, according to the Vineyard Gazette.
Here's what to know
Steamship treasurer and comptroller Mark Rozum told the advisory port council that keeping fares unchanged would leave the boat line with only about $573,000 in net income in 2027, far below the roughly $10 million it has usually brought in.
A preliminary proposal would raise high-season excursion fares by $8.50 roundtrip and increase adult passenger fares by 50 cents. Children and seniors would pay 25 cents more.
In Rozum's view, fuel is the main driver of the proposed increase.
"The big item on the budget is impact of fuel prices," Rozum told the port council, noting that the authority's 2027 fuel hedge will be much more expensive because of price volatility.
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Fuel is not the only rising cost.
Staffing expenses are projected to rise by about $4.7 million, or 8.2%, a jump steamship officials attributed to union-negotiated contracts.
High-season fares for non-excursion vehicles on the Nantucket route could climb by as much as $29 one way, according to the Gazette.
More background
The proposed changes would vary by time of year.
For non-Islander cars traveling to Martha's Vineyard, the preliminary increases would range from $4 one way in midwinter to $7 during the shoulder season, then $9 on high-summer weekdays and $17 on weekends, per the Gazette.
Parking costs could also rise, with daily fees increasing by $1, and permits going up by $200 for the Woods Hole lot and $50 for Palmer Avenue.
The fare discussion is unfolding amid rider frustration over capacity.
Nathaniel Lowell, a Nantucket port council member, noted that the ferry line continues to hear complaints about boats leaving port with unused vehicle deck space even when demand appears intense.
"I'm going to speak for the public right now. We have to figure out how to fill the boats. We have to get the bleacher seats full," Lowell stated.
Rising transportation costs are not the only problem caused by reliance on fossil fuels.
Coal and natural gas power plants contribute to air and water pollution linked to asthma, heart disease, cancer, and premature death.
At the same time, those fuels can keep household energy costs elevated instead of accelerating the shift to abundant sources such as sunlight and wind, and industry lobbying has slowed cleaner, cheaper energy solutions that would better protect communities and lower costs.
What's being done?
Steamship officials say the proposed fare increases are intended to support operations while allowing the authority to keep investing in the ferry system.
Rozum said the added money would go toward preventative work instead of delaying it.
"We look at it as not spending money, it's investing the money," he observed. "A lot of these items, the more we can do on the preventative side, the better off we are operationally and our riders get the benefit of that."
The authority is sticking with fuel hedging to handle oil price spikes instead of using separate fuel surcharges like some other transportation operators.
Gordon Carr, the New Bedford member and chair of the port council, pushed back on that approach.
"Surcharges are bad. They are unanticipated, they're sort of dramatic, all that kind of stuff, versus the way you manage both how we buy our fuel, but also these adjustments," Carr countered.
Steamship staff are still refining the budget and plan to hold public meetings in the port towns before bringing a proposal to the port council and the board of governors, which has final approval.
Rozum also said the authority's long-awaited new reservation system could eventually allow demand pricing on less-traveled trips if leaders decide to pursue it.
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