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WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |
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Ferry fares up 39 percent Tuesday,
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| Ferry Fares | ||||
| Roundtrip from Anacortes to: |
Car and Driver | Multi-use Ticket - good for 5 rides |
||
| Before May 1 |
With surcharge + 2.5 % |
Before May 1 |
With surcharge + 2.5 % |
|
| Lopez Island | $23.35 | $32.35 | $97.15 ($19.43) |
$99.75 ($19.75) |
| Orcas Island | $27.95 | $38.85 | $116.45 ($23.29) |
$119.65 ($23.93) |
| Friday Harbor | $33.25 | $46.15 | $138.40 ($27.68) |
$142.15 ($28.43) |
Passenger cards can be shared by group traveling together
updated 10/23/2006 posted 10/06/2006
Today, Monday, October 23 is the last day to buy the paper ferry ticket book. Washington State Ferries will be introducing its new electronic fare collection system to Anacortes/San Juan Island ferry customers on Tuesday, October 24, 2006. The ticket books will be replaced with a bar-coded, scanable multi-ride card, carrying the same amount of rides and the same discount as the frequent user books as well as the same 90-day expiration date.
"Frequent user tickets for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands will be accepted at the Anacortes Terminal until their expiration date," says Traci Brewer-Rogstad, Director of Marine Operations. "We want this transition from our old point of sale system to our new electronic system to be as easy as possible for our customers."
Frequent user books for Anacortes to Lopez Island, Shaw Island, Orcas Island or Friday Harbor on San Juan Island will not be available for purchase from the Island Terminal Agents after October 23. However, the multi-ride cards will be available from kiosks at each terminal (except Shaw) as well as through the Internet www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries and at the Anacortes Terminal tollbooths. Inter-island ticket books will still be available at Island Terminals but not at any kiosks, at the Anacortes tollbooths or via the Internet.
With the introduction of Wave2Go, single full fare tickets will be available for pre-purchase up to seven days in advance, a first for Washington State Ferries. All other tickets, except for inter-island tickets, will also be available on the Internet and at kiosks at the terminals. This includes senior/disabled tickets, as well as multi-ride passenger and vehicle/driver single fares and multi-ride cards. All tickets purchased via the Internet can be printed at home on a personal printer and scanned at the tollbooth or at a turnstile.
"With the capability of advance purchase, we expect that customers will spend less time at the tollbooth purchasing fares," adds Ms. Brewer-Rogstad. "The multi-ride passenger card can be shared by a family or group traveling together. The car and driver multi-ride card can only be used by one car per sailing."
Story by Sharon Kivisto
posted 02/23/05
It may be "a pyhrric victory," but there is a way for islanders to split electronic tickets. Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald said islanders can still have their "de facto resident discount" by photocopying the bar code on the electronic fare card. The reprieve is only temporary, the next phase of the system - the smart card - won't work the same way.
Using a photocopy of an electronic fare card barcode is not counterfeiting, according to MacDonald. The barcode is still good for only the specified number of trips. Car and driver tickets are sold in batches of five trips, passenger tickets in 10.
MacDonald and Washington State Ferries Interim Director Mike Anderson had a frank discussion with the three San Juan County Commissioners Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005. The proposed switch to electronic fares with shorter expiration dates and smaller discounts has angered many islanders and will be the topic of discussion at public hearings next week.
Commissioner Rhea Miller held up a folder containing petitions with 2,400 signatures and said many islanders plan to attend the hearings.
"We've received a lot of emails. We don't have any trouble at all hearing what those letters are saying about the unique needs of the islands," MacDonald said. "The voices of the San Juans are strong, clear, ardent and not necessarily unified."
There is broad disagreement on who is going to bear the brunt of the increased revenue needs. Some islanders prefer bigger surcharges in the summer. Others, dependent on tourism, are opposed to the idea, MacDonald said. He noted the increasing stratification of island demographics. "There are plenty of people up here for whom the ferry cost is a real strain," he said. "There is also an increasing number of full-time retirees for whom it is not."
MacDonald said, "I know there will be a lot of people (at the hearings). It doesn't make any difference how many people vent." What is important is for people to "get to more of a reality picture of what the challenges are." WSF is in competition with the rest of the transportation system for funding from the state. The state legislature is facing a $1.6 billion budget deficit in the 2005-2007 biennium.
"The 5-5-5 plan is not alive and well," he said. The previous WSF CEO Mike Thorne's plan was based on 5 percent annual fare increases, 5 percent reduction in costs and 5 percent from new sources of revenue.
Another goal has also been changed. Fare box recovery - the percentage of operating costs - covered by ticket revenue. "Despite everybody's belief that it is 80 percent, it is 100 percent," MacDonald said. "No one has officially changed the target, but it has been changed by pressures on the budget."
Ticket prices in the San Juans will never cover 100 percent of the operating costs, Anderson said. The goal is to cover 100 percent of the operating cost system-wide. The operating costs for the Anacortes/San Juans route (excluding Sidney) were $34 million last year. The fare box brought in $18 million. The $16 million difference was made up through revenue from the state gas tax. Each of the 1.7 million riders on the Anacortes/San Juans route last year cost the system $9 to $10 more than the ticket price.
None of the gas tax revenue used to make up the shortfall came from San Juan County, MacDonald said. All of the state gas tax, collected in the islands, is returned to the county through the Capron funds. In 2003, the amount returned was $2,428,543. (A portion, based on assessed valuation, is sent to the town). Because the county did not have state highways, the Capron fund was started in the 1930s to allow the county to recover the gas tax and motor vehicle fees paid in the county. Since then Washington State Ferries was created as part of the state highway system.
Miller said the reason for the Capron funds is because there are no state highways here and the "county operates a highway sytem for all those tourists."
MacDonald replied, "We are told in emails, we do have a state highway system (the ferries) here. You can't have it both ways."
Besides the difficulty with meeting operating costs, the ferry system faces costly capital needs. The capital costs in the whole state transportation system cost five to six times the amount available. The system is in a death spiral, MacDonald said.
MacDonald and Anderson said they expect changes to be made to the tariff proposal before it is adopted by the state Transportation Commission at the end of March. Anderson said, "We have to remember where we are in the process. The tariff policy committee made the proposal. In previous years (after the public hearings) we've always came back with amendments. The commission is hearing the issues. We anticipate there will be changes."
Possible changes touched on at the Feb. 22 meeting included changing the length of time the electronic "ticket books" are valid and changing how many times the same bar code could be used on one sailing. The proposed velocity setting is one barcode use per sailing. The limitation is set by WSF. "It's strictly a business decision," Anderson said.
PUBLIC MEETINGS are scheduled as follows:
- Tuesday, March 1, at the Shaw Community Center, 10:45 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 1 at the Flounder Bay Cafe in Anacortes, 5-7 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 2 on Lopez Island at the Lopez Center, 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 2 at Friday Harbor at the Mullis Community Senior Center, 3:15-5 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 2 at the Orcas Center on Orcas Island, 6:30-8:10 p.m.
| CURRENT SYSTEM | |||
| Expires | discounted | number of tickets in books |
|
| San Juans | 90 days | 25 percent | 5 |
| All other routes | 90 days | 20 percent | 10 |
| PROPOSED SYSTEM | |||
| Expires | discounted | number of tickets in books |
|
| San Juans | 90 days | 15 percent | 5 |
| 30 days | 20 percent | 5 | |
| All other routes | 90 days | 10 percent | 10 |
| 30 days | 20 percent | 10 | |
posted 01/19/05
Commuter tickets for Washington State Ferries will cost more and expire sooner under a plan proposed by the Tariff Advisory Committee. The state Transportation Commission heard testimony about the proposal Jan. 18, 2005 and chose not to make any changes to the proposal. The next step is public hearings, including hearings on March 2 on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Islands.
Currently, ferry riders in the San Juans can purchase a five-ticket coupon book of car-and-driver tickets at a 25 percent discount. The book is good for 90 days. Down Sound, ferry riders can purchase a 10-ticket book at a 20 percent discount. The discount is higher in the San Juans because the cost is offset by higher summer fares.
Under the proposal, the ticket books will be replaced by electronic cards and a two-tier system. The number of rides would stay the same - five for the San Juans, 10 for the rest of the system. The discount and expiration period would change.
The cards would expire in 30 or 90 days. A 20 percent discount (25 percent in the San Juans) would be offered for tickets which expire in 30 days. A 10 percent discount (15 percent in the San Juans) would be offered for tickets good for 90 days.
San Juan Ferry Advisory Committee Chair Bob Distler said the change means a 13 percent increase to riders in the San Juans. (The difference between a 25 percent discount and a 15 percent discount is 13 percent). He is also a member of the tariff committee and spoke out against the proposal at the Jan. 18 meeting.
State Rep. Jeff Morris (D-Anacortes) testified before the Transportation Commission in Olympia. He told them this is a huge increase that will be borne by a few thousand people. Rep. Dave Quall (D-Mount Vernon) also spoke against the proposal.
Distler advised county Commissioners Kevin Ranker and Alan Lichter about the electronic fare proposal during the Jan. 11, 2005 Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting. (Commissioner Rhea Miller was out of the country). Distler strongly suggested at least one commissioner attend the transportation commission's Jan. 18 meeting. Because the commission is a political entity, testimony from a county Commissioner could be effective, he said.
None of the commissioners went to Olympia. Instead a letter expressing objections to the proposal was sent to the Transportation Commission.
Interviewed by phone after the Transportation Commission meeting, Distler said an appearance by at least one of the county commissioners "perhaps could have made a difference."
He said the case isn't closed. The public will be able to air their views during the March 2, 2005 public hearings in San Juan County. (Times and locations will be posted later).
Washington State Ferries faces a May 1, 2005 deadline for tariff changes. Under the timeline outlined by WSF Planning Director Ray Deardorf, the Transportation Commission will make their final ruling in mid to late March.
The Transportation Commission can be contacted at /www.wsdot.wa.gov/commission/feedback.htm
posted 01/12/05
The state Tariff Policy Committee proposes a two-tier system for commuter ticket books. Currently, ferry riders in the San Juans can purchase a discounted book of five car-and-driver tickets that are good for 90 days. The discount is 25 percent and the tickets are good for 90 days. The proposed price structure would be a 20 percent discount with tickets good for 30 days and a 10 percent discount for tickets good for 90 days.
Another issue involves the "severability" of the tickets. San Juan County Ferry Advisory Committee Chair Bob Distler explained the problem to the commissioners. Islanders have been buying the ticket books and sharing them. The tickets can be removed and used individually. After Washington State Ferries switches to an electronic fare system in the fall of 2005, separating the tickets will not be possible.
When families take the ferry, many buy a 10-passenger book and use several individual tickets at one time. Under the proposed system, that will not be possible. An electronic card with 10 passenger tickets won't be able to be used for more than one person at a time. In other words, a family pulling up to the ticket booth, can't hand over one card to pay for two or more passengers.
San Juan County Commissioners Kevin Ranker and Alan Lichter signed a letter strongly opposing both proposals. The Washington State Transportation Commission will hear testimony and take action on the proposals at their Jan. 18, 2005 meeting in Olympia.
Distler said he is optimistic the two-tier ticket book proposal can be changed. He is not as optimistic regarding the severability issue.
The Transportation Commission can be contacted at /www.wsdot.wa.gov/commission/feedback.htm
posted 01/11/05
Washington State Ferries is switching to electronic cards instead of paper tickets beginning in the fall of 2005. The state Transportation Commission is working on modification of the tariffs as part of the process. San Juan Ferry Advisory Committee Chair Bob Distler will update the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) about the pricing proposals during a work session at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2005 in the commissioners hearing room in the county Courthouse.
The Transportation Commission will consider the proposals at its Jan. 18, 2005 meeting. Then public comment will be taken in February and an adoption hearing will be held in late March.
posted 12/07/04
In the fall of 2005, Washington State Ferries will introduce a new electronic fare collection system. The new fare system utilizes bar code readers and scanners and allows customers to purchase their tickets online or at kiosks in the terminals. The current ticket book configuration will be replaced with one multi-ride ticket.
WSF says the new system will be faster, easier and more convenient for ferry users. It will also enhance the system's accountability and efficiency at the tollbooths by electronically capturing every transaction, including passes.
Passenger terminals will have turnstiles that scan each ticket or pass. Vehicle tollbooths will also have scanners.
"This is the first of many such outreach efforts," says Mike Anderson, Acting Director of Washington State Ferries. "We are excited about the benefits of the new system and we want our customers to be completely comfortable with it by the time we roll it out for use."
WSF staff will be onboard ferries on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route in January providing information about the new system which goes into effect in the Fall of 2005.
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