MY TURN: Kitsap Transit Should Support Kingston Ferries

Kitsap Sun letter to the editor/guest column - May 13, 2007

The Kitsap Sun provided a good review of many challenges facing foot ferries in its May 7 front-page story.

However, we disagree with the following comment from Kitsap Transit concerning the cost of foot ferries:

“Private ferry operators must work with a public partner to obtain boats and docks from the federal government. On top of that, a 30 percent to 40 percent operating subsidy is needed.”

The cost for a Kingston-Seattle ferry, and many other routes in Kitsap and Puget Sound, can be vastly less. It all depends on the ridership level and controlling costs.

Our analysis shows that at a certain ridership threshold of perhaps 400 daily round-trip passengers, the cost of providing passenger-only ferry service in Kingston and elsewhere may break even. Common sense leads to the same conclusion by noting that Aqua-Express and other operators would not be interested in Kingston, Southworth, Vashon Island and elsewhere unless it was possible to make a profit.

Kitsap Transit is planning $8.4 million in spending on Bremerton ferry research that would include a re-start of the Bremerton-Seattle foot ferry, in addition to about $2 million per year of existing spending exclusively for Bremerton ferries. Kingston has never received a subsidy for a ferry. The county as a whole would be best served if Kitsap Transit re-evaluated its policy with an eye to supporting the fledgling Kingston Express ferry effort — where the need is greatest, the voter support is highest, the problems are fewer and the costs are smaller.

Nels Sultan, Ph.D, P.E.

Manager

Kingston Express Association

KINGSTON

Home Contact Media Purpose Plans References Comments