SURVEY: Fuel surcharge for state ferry fares?

The Washington State Transportation Commission – which among other things sets fares for state ferries – has a survey open about a possible addition to those fares. The WSTC says there’s been longstanding authorization for a fuel surcharge to be added to ferry fares if needed to cover a funding gap. So its survey asks what you think of that idea. The survey also asks whether WSF should focus more on moving vehicles or moving people. It’s open for another week and a half – until October 18th – and you can respond to it by going here.

Neighbor October 8, 2022 (11:37 pm)

No thanks. Tax the sh*t out of landlords, especially the ones that use AirBnB and derivatives to extract rent from the rest of us. This is one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Pay for what we need in property tax. Not regressive use taxes like fuel surcharges. Charge low tax on primary residences and extract every dime we need from landlords who are by definition predators.

James October 9, 2022 (7:19 am)

A month ago my husband and I went to Scotland for his 40th birthday. We rented a car and used the ferries to visit the western isles, and WSF is nowhere near as nice as what we experienced in Scotland. I was taking pictures of the ferry interiors and sharing them back home with friends who were equally gobsmacked by how nice everything is on Scottish ferries. My husband couldn’t get over how clean the toilets were, and how they were regularly inspected and maintained during our passage. I appreciated being able to eat a vegetarian meal from the galley on every single one of our ferry rides! But having a glass – glass, not plastic or paper – of Scotch on the deck and taking in the scenery was truly spectacular. Washington State is doing a serious discredit to itself by not investing more in its ferries—from construction to employment. I would gladly pay higher taxes for a better state ferry system if it meant traveling like we did in Scotland.

The King October 9, 2022 (11:13 am)

Wow, sounds luxurious. Interesting to note that the Scottish government is putting emergency panels together to avoid a budgetary race to the bottom.
East Coast Cynic October 9, 2022 (12:16 pm)

Would you pay a city and state income tax? A county income tax? A big zeitgeist difference between us Americans and the EU: They’re willing to pay higher taxes overall to fund universal health care and superior well maintained public transportation. Try to do that here – Communism! Socialism! “We pay enough in taxes already”. Good Luck.
- James October 9, 2022 (12:27 pm)
  
  I’d gladly pay a state income tax! But I also want universal healthcare in Washington State, so.
Rhonda October 9, 2022 (12:51 pm)

Very, VERY few Washingtonians live on the Sound’s islands in comparison to our 7.7 million population and they aren’t vitally-important destinations for most State residents and tourists. That’s not the case at all in Scotland. It’s like comparing our interstate highway system to theirs. And mixing drinking scotch with a ship full of cars is a never a good idea.
- Ivan Weiss October 10, 2022 (8:51 pm)
  
  @Rhonda: This ignorance is astounding. Washington State Ferries are, by law and by definition, an integral part of the state highway system, and access to ferry-served and ferry-dependent communities needs to be maintained every bit as much as access to the state’s rural communities that aren’t “vitally important destinations for most state residents and tourists.” Maintenance of access to these communities is damn sure vitally important to the people who live there, I can tell you that.

Mj October 9, 2022 (9:35 am)

The WSF’s just recently waived ferry fares for an entire user group and now is looking for more money to cover a funding gap?

Community Member October 9, 2022 (11:15 am)

Free fares for 18-and-under was passed by the state legislature, and is part of a massive state transportation bill.
- Bill October 10, 2022 (7:32 am)
  
  Which seemingly did not fund the ferries sufficiently.
flimflam October 9, 2022 (11:35 am)

Bad timing…

West Seattle Coug October 9, 2022 (11:11 am)

All transit agencies are now letting 18yo and younger travel for free. It’s my understanding that WSF may be able to seek reimbursement from the legislature for the lost revenue.
WSF is considered an extension of the highway system in the state. Tell me the last time you stopped at a rest stop and were able to buy scotch in a glass.
Please don’t compare a recreational every-other-day ferry service with the commuter-oriented WSF. If anything, compare the prices.
Hey, maybe we can have Metro put a wet bar at the back of each bus!

D October 9, 2022 (12:19 pm)

My thoughts raise the price for vehicle transportation by double or triple the current price for cars. Keep fairs for walk ons the low price. We don’t need to be wasting so much resources on antiqued vessels that need to be decommissioned. All the fuel they dump in the water, pollution, and lack a maneuverability makes it an obvious choice to scrap them all. the loud humming noise from the ferries disrupt marine wildlife and travels for miles, disrupting peoples sleep at night.

my two cents October 9, 2022 (5:52 pm)

D – You state “All the fuel they dump in the water …” yet when I Google/Bing, I don’t get anything. Please cite your references. TY.
- Rumbles October 10, 2022 (4:07 pm)
  
  Something tells me you will be waiting a while for the facts to back up that claim from “D”….
  - D October 11, 2022 (2:04 pm)
    
    I should have said emissions not unburned fuel vs airborne pollutants. The port hasn’t recorded how much emissions they dump since 2016 and they definitely don’t document how much gets absorbed in the water. But I’m sure they could do a million dollar study to find out how much. Most older 2 piston engines discharge from 20% to 30% of non-burned fuel into the water, but not sure how much fuel our 50 year old ferries dump.https://www.portseattle.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/2019_07_Env_Scorecard.pdf