Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu has issued an executive order to hike Lummi Island Ferry fares as part of a plan to address the ferry’s anticipated fare box deficit.
Starting May 1, fares for multi-ride tickets for pedestrians and vehicles will increase, but not as much as initially proposed. The vehicle multi-ride ticket currently provides 25 round trips for $235. Now, it will cost $244, but for only 20 round trips. The pedestrian multi-ride currently costs $113 for 25 round trips; now, it will cost $132 for 20 round trips.
Single pedestrian fare will remain the same at $8, while the single driver fare will increase by $1 to $15 for a round trip.
For the last two years, ferry revenues have failed to keep pace with expenditures. In 2023, the ferry brought in $474,000 less revenue than expected, public works staff said in a March 5 presentation to county council.
Executive Satpal Sidhu wrote in a memorandum to Whatcom County Council that the fare hike is intended to ensure that the “fare box contribution to the Ferry Fund is sufficient to cover its share through the end of the year.”
Along with the fare increase, the county will allocate $358,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the Ferry Fund.
With the new fares and the ARPA allocation, Sidhu said they expect to see a fare box surplus of $100,000 to $200,000 at the end of this year.
For residents, the fare increases were expected, but the initial proposal to increase multiride fares — generally seen as the “resident” fare — seemed financially infeasible to some.
In March, after Sidhu released proposed fare increases to the ferry fares, nearly 80 Lummi Island residents attended a special meeting of the Whatcom County Ferry Advisory Committee to voice concern about the increases and the financial impact on those living on the island.
Sidhu’s initial increases would have resulted in an $88 increase to the driver multi-ride fare and a $61 increase to the pedestrian multi-ride fare.
“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,” Ferry Advisory Committee member Diane Harper said at a Tuesday, March 19 county council meeting.
However, Sidhu’s final fare hikes of the pedestrian and vehicle multi-ride tickets are less extreme than proposed versions. The proposed pedestrian multiride fare was $174 — the final is $132. The proposed vehicle multiride fare was $323 — the final is $244.
Sidhu described the final fare increases as a “compromise” between the Ferry Advisory Committee and his initial proposal.
Sidhu said in the memorandum that they do expect the fare adjustments to result in some changes in ferry-user habits and ridership decline.
“However, there remain concerns that the fare box’s downward trajectory, temporarily alleviated by the ARPA infusion, will not be fully corrected without additional measures,” Sidhu wrote.
Sidhu called the executive order a “stopgap measure” to ensure fund solvency and said it is not a permanent solution to the “structural financial challenges facing the Ferry Fund over the next several years.”
Going forward, Sidhu said he will work with county council to establish a “clear and sustainable fare policy through code revisions.” He added that if there’s a better financial situation at the end of the year, the council could adjust ferry fares with the support of the Ferry Advisory Committee.
“We will also be looking for pathways to control and lower expenses, but it will take time to identify, vet and implement such cost-saving measures.”
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
