Ferry Fares: 5.5 Percent Increase and New Surcharge Among the Changes

Ferry fares are going up again.

The Washington State Transportation Commission has announced a general fare increase of 2.5 percent on October 1 and a 3 percent increase on May 1, 2012.

But that’s not all.

The commission is also adding a capital surcharge of 25 cents per fare, to be used on new ferry replacements, and a change in fares according to car size.

The commission says the increases are necessary to meet a revenue target of $310 million that must be raised by ferry fares between July 1 of this year and and June 30, 2013. The target is required by the current Washington State transportation budget as enacted by the legislature and Gov. Gregoire.

The vehicle sizes changes creates a new size category for cars less than 14 feet, with the fare for small cars to eventually be 70 percent of the standard vehicle fare. The goal is to encourage smaller cars, maximizing the use of ferry deck space. This change will be phased in over three years. The standard vehicle size will now be 14-22 feet. Currently, the maximum length for a standard vehicle is 20 feet.

There’s a bit of good news: The annual bicycle permit is being eliminated and passengers paying with monthly passes, multiride cards, or an ORCA ePurse will be allowed to bring bicycles on board without additional charge. In the San Juan Islands, only passengers using multiride cards would be exempt from the bicycle surcharge.

For more information about the Commission or the Commission’s adopted fare changed, visit the Transportation Commission’s Website.

Go to the Washington State Ferries Website to see current fares from Edmonds to Kingston.