Steamship Authority officials this week unveiled potential rate increases for customers next year — including Islanders, whose heavily subsidized excursion fares could be going up for the first time since 2021.
Steamship Authority officials this week unveiled potential rate increases for customers next year — including Islanders, whose heavily subsidized excursion fares could be going up for the first time since 2021.
At Tuesday’s port council meeting, treasurer and comptroller Mark Rozum recommended across-the-board hikes as part of his proposed $162 million operating budget for 2026.
The increases will enable the Steamship Authority to meet a projected $7.4 million shortfall in revenue next year, said Mr. Rozum, citing higher operating costs for maintenance, information technology and staff training.
Mr. Rozum’s proposed fare schedule would raise passenger tickets by 50 cents from the current $10 one-way fare for adults, and half-price fares by 25 cents.
Standard automobile fares would go up by $3.50 to $6 in each direction, depending on dates, and freight is scheduled for a 5.5 per cent increase.
Daily parking in the Steamship Authority’s Falmouth lots, presently $15 to $25 depending on dates, would increase by $5 from November through March and by $8 from April through October. Parking permits in Woods Hole would rise by $200 and permits for the Palmer avenue lot in Falmouth by $50.
Excursion fares, which cover one vehicle, two adults and two children and are meant to be used by Island residents for personal trips to the mainland, would rise by $2.75 in each direction from May 15 through Sept. 14 and by $1.75 the rest of the year.
These deeply discounted fares currently cost the SSA about $80 in each direction, because they bring in less than 28 per cent of the actual transportation cost, Mr. Rozum said.
The excursion program was designed to make it easier for year-round residents to reach the mainland for doctor’s appointments, school sporting events and other occasional activities not available on the Islands, but Mr. Rozum said it is being abused by a significant minority of drivers.
While 92 per cent of all vehicles in the program use it no more than 24 times a year, Mr. Rozum said the remaining 8 per cent of motorists account for a quarter of all excursion bookings.
“Something’s not right as far as the distribution goes,” he said. “We have people that are using it over 200 times a year.”
The $80 loss for each passage means the Steamship Authority essentially subsidizes $32,000 in travel costs for 200 trips, said Mr. Rozum, who noted other abuses as well.
“We have one case that we … looked at, and that car never stayed overnight on the Island. That’s not what the excursion rate was intended to do,” Mr. Rozum said.
“We want to make sure the program is used as intended to help year-round Islanders [and] not to subsidize a business [or] secondary home,” he said.
A stricter definition of who qualifies for the excursion rate could also help raise the falling number of standard automobile trips, which return more than 100 per cent of their transportation cost. Port council members briefly discussed potential changes to the eligibility rules for the excursion program.
Mr. Rozum suggested it could be limited to registered voters, but Nantucket port council member Nat Lowell said that approach risks abuse by people who don’t spend their whole year on the island where they’ve registered.
“There’s a lot of strange ways to be a voter,” Mr. Lowell said.
The Steamship Authority board of governors will begin discussing the proposed increases next Tuesday in a hybrid meeting on Nantucket. A final vote on the 2026 budget is expected in October.
Members of the public will be able to weigh in on the fare hikes, and other aspects of the draft budget, at open house meetings to be scheduled on both the Vineyard and Nantucket, Mr. Rozum said.
Comments also may be emailed to Mr. Rozum, communications director Sean Driscoll told the Gazette. The treasurer’s address is [email protected].
Comments
this it....say goodbye to
michael edgartownthis it....say goodbye to your tourist business....do you think they will come with this unsustainable ferry system? lousy food? lousy weather?
anti tourist locals...you won....they wont come .........
What? The $7-$12 round trip
AM 02539What? The $7-$12 round trip increase in cost to bring a car over is going to put a fork in the tourist business? I don’t see it.
MV residents recommend
Robert Brown EdgartownMV residents recommend reliable service and responsible budgets
The excursion fares should
Nelson Boston/WTThe excursion fares should increase much more than the SSA is proposing. It is not fair that seasonal residents (who also need to travel off island for medical appoints, etc.) and tourists continue to subsidize year round residents--even when those year round residents may own second homes elsewhere, e.g., Florida, Berkshires, or may have more money than non-year round residents. It's all the more unfair, when the SSA was created by an Act of the State Legislature, but is governed by a board comprising a majority of year round residents who vote in their own self interest to the detriment of other Massachusetts residents. If the SSA does not rectify the situation, the State Legislature should step in and change the board structure to be more representative of the state as a whole.
Am I actually reading this
tom BostonAm I actually reading this correctly? That daily parking tickets in Falmouth would increase from the current $25 per day to $33?! So parking rates would increase by just about 33% on top of a very hefty increase last year? This is obscene. The Steamship Authority likes to say they are subsidizing Islanders' excursion fares but it's really the tourists who are getting hammered yet again. Disgraceful.
Cannot agree with this more.
JCannot agree with this more. Parking went up significantly this year - I believe they used to charge less for weekdays and this year moved to a flat $25/day rate for the summer. A Gazette article from 2024 said parking was going up $2-$7 a day for 2025 depending on the season/day of the week which means with this proposed increase the cost is going up nearly 83% in two years. People leverage parking to get to the island because we can't even get a car reservation. Never mind the noticeable decline service (sending boats over without allowing a single walk on passenger on, 45 min waits for buses to parking/ferry). This is really disappointing.
I believe (not 100% certain)
tom BostonI believe (not 100% certain) parking was $21/day on Saturdays and Sundays and $16 the other days of the week during the season? Then, as you say, it went to $25 dollars/day every day of the week during the season this year. Now $33/day? That's more than double (in 2 years) Monday-Friday and 57% more on weekends. You do not need a background in finance to realize the Steamship Authority has major issues. This is not sustainable and screams fiscal mismanagement.
When island residents pay
Lenore B.When island residents pay subsidized fares they are more likely to vote for excessive buildings and other extravagances because the residents do not pay the full costs. It’s basic economics, when someone else is paying people will spend beyond their means. The solution to SSA mismanagement and overspending is for the excursion rate to increase so that island residents pay the full cost of the expenses approved by the board.
I do not know one year-round
Anna Vineyard HavenI do not know one year-round Islander who thinks the SSA is run well or supports the ridiculous overspending on buildings. The governance structure is very problematic and many are actually petitioning to change that.
Why not a hefty rate increase
Susan PennsylvaniaWhy not a hefty rate increase for the private planes landing and taking off from MV? They're the people who can afford it.
These ferry rates are a burden for everyone else.
What does this have to do
tom BostonWhat does this have to do with the airport?? The airport and the Steamship Authority are two entirely different entities with their own operations budgets. If the airport is struggling financially, they no doubt will raise their fees. And the airport does not charge planes landing/departing from MV different rates if Islanders are abroad. Nor do the airlines themselves. Why are you asking apparently wealthy people who use the airport to subsidize ferry excursion rates for Islanders? If they own a home here they already are massively contributing to the year round island community by pay very significant property taxes and use little of the services. And second home owners who rent out their house a few weeks are paying significant STR taxes on top.
The airport is not the
reality check mvyThe airport is not the 'solution' to every island problem. Thankfully the FAA grant assurances require fees, rents, etc paid to the airport remain at the airport. Those of us with private planes are not rich. Mine cost less than a new SUV. I learned to fly 45 years ago because I was not going to deal with the SSA.
Why do they are they
Bob EdgartownWhy do they are they building a ticket office in the middle of the parking lot? Where it will be a nightmare for trucks and cars to navigate?
I also didn't and still don't
Carole W Saucier Manchester, CT and EdgartownI also didn't and still don't know why that ticket office has to be that big, and the placement in the middle of the parking lot is a recipe for the same traffic disaster we have experienced this year in Woods Hole forever.
The core of this issue is not
here we go again Vineyard HavenThe core of this issue is not about increasing taxes on the wealthy but rather about creating a fair and balanced budget for the Steamship Authority. While the Authority's recent communication and rate increases were a good start, they were arguably too conservative. The most pressing issue is the inequitable abuse of the excursion rate system.
To address this, the Steamship Authority should immediately convene several public forums and working groups across all affected communities to gather input on changing the requirements for the excursion rate. The goal is to make it more difficult to qualify for this benefit. The new requirements should be clearly defined and strictly enforced. Additionally, severe and non-negotiable consequences for those who abuse the system must be established. This will ensure that the excursion rate remains a true benefit for its intended recipients and that its abuse, which appears to be a small number but a significant problem, is curtailed.
Palmer Ave parking is used by
Islander61 OBPalmer Ave parking is used by islanders because so they won’t have to take their car on the boat, thus leaving more room for visiting car reservations. Why does the SSA keep punishing those of us who park in Falmouth when we’re actually doing them a favor? Stop increasing Palmer Ave parking permits, you’re just hurting islanders.
Any commitment to reduce
NYAve Oak BluffsAny commitment to reduce expenses, streamline the operation, or improve the service offered to ALL CUSTOMERS? Sorry but nope. We get broken and wildly expensive website, expensive new ferries but no fast passengers ones, new offices that don't serve the customers, new terminals that cost triple the original projection and more cancellations and worse service than last year and the year before that. And give management a nice raise on his way out too.
Hey, ya know what... if you
Chilmark ChilmarkHey, ya know what... if you cannot pay to visit then too bad. I know the tourist industry is important and helps many island families financially. However, those of us who LIVE here need a reasonable rate to come off/on the island. The steamship is not a luxury cruise line and it's not your dream boat to vacation land. It's a vessel intended to transport those of us who live here off and on the island. The tourist business is gravy train or a "+1" for those hip people. It is, what it is, to vacation in this amazing place. Sorry, not sorry.
I am troubled by the comment
joanne ChilmarkI am troubled by the comment I read that islander/excursion people hoard reservations and then cancel at the last minute. That messes with everyone else's ability to book a boat. there must be an easy fix, like you can only hold 4 reservations at a time?
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