Lummi Island Ferry fares will increase amid an anticipated deficit of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
After two years of ferry revenues failing to keep pace with expenditures, Whatcom County Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday, March 19 requesting Executive Satpal Sidhu issue an executive order to increase fares. The resolution also supports the appropriation of $358,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the Ferry Fund.
Lummi Island has a population of 934 as of the 2020 census. Some residents are commuters and ride the more-than-60-year-old ferry nearly every weekday to go to work, while others cross over to the mainland one or two times a week for errands.
In 2023, the ferry brought in $474,000 less revenue than expected, public works staff said in a March 5 presentation to county council.
Ridership decreased by 10.7% in single-ride pedestrian tickets and 8.9% in single-ride vehicle tickets in 2023. Sales of multi-ride tickets, which many residents purchase frequently, also decreased: public works reported a 6.5% decrease in multi-ride pedestrian ticket sales in 2023 and a 2% decrease in multi-ride vehicle ticket sales. Public works staff attributed the drop in ridership to COVID-19 changing riding patterns and behaviors in general. Anecdotally, Randy Rydel of the public works department said March 6 the closing of the Willows Inn in late 2022 could have contributed.
The last fare increase was implemented in 2010 as a $3 surcharge.
The exact fare increases won’t be finalized until next week. Executive Satpal Sidhu shared his proposed fare increases with the Whatcom County Ferry Advisory Committee this month, resulting in blowback from the Lummi Island community.
Nearly 80 Lummi Island residents attended a March 18 special meeting of the Ferry Advisory Committee to voice concerns about the increases and the financial impact on those living on the island.
Initial proposal
Sidhu’s initial proposal included significant fare increases to multi-ride tickets: his proposal would result in a 54% increase in the pedestrian multi-ride fare, and a 37.4% increase in the vehicle with driver multi-ride fare.
In a presentation to council on Tuesday, Ferry Advisory Committee members Pam Gould and Diane Harper proposed an alternate fare increase schedule that would reduce the increase on the pedestrian multi-ride and the vehicle multi-ride to a 24% and a 20% increase, respectively.
“Now I don’t know about you, but if there’s something that you buy commonly and the price goes up 55 percent, you are going to notice and you may change your behavior,” Harper said at the council meeting.
Gould and Harper also advocated for a summer surcharge and electronic ticketing.
While initially considering a motion to hold the resolution until the executive’s office and public works negotiate further with the advisory committee, county council voted in favor of the resolution.
County Council member Ben Elenbaas said he felt the executive “kicked the can down the road” on this issue, and that the resolution would give direction to the executive to address the issue now.
Whatcom County Community Outreach Facilitator Jed Holmes said on March 20 that the county is looking through recommendations from the committee and is going to come up with a “compromise” version.
Once the executive order to increase fares is issued, it will take the county about 45 days to get the new tickets ready for use, Holmes said.
The current vessel for the Lummi Island Ferry is the Whatcom Chief and the county has plans to replace it with a hybrid ferry.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
