Ferry's Decision to Reduce Schedule Irritates Some Commuters

The good news: the will operate next year.

The bad news for some commuters: The ferry schedule is being reduced to Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays next week for the remainder of the season. The change has stirred up some strong opposition from those who feel the city should keep the ferry running through October for commuters.

The City of Salem announced last Wednesday that the Salem Ferry will operate on a three-day schedule for the remainder of the 2011 season, The ferry will operate from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. On Columbus Day, the ferry will run a Sunday schedule. And on Halloween, it will run from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Don Riggin, a resident and commuter said he, along with other commuters, is concerned that the city of Salem owns the ferry. As residents and taxpayers, Riggin said they feel the city has a duty to make sure that its taxpayer-funded investment remains available to resident commuters.

The ferry is operated by Boston’s Best Cruises, which is headquartered in Quincy. The boat is owned by the city. Since 2006, the ferry has operated seven days per week from Memorial Day through Halloween.

Bill Walker, one of the principals of Boston Best Cruises, said the ferry was losing money due to higher fuel costs and lower than expected ridership.

“During shoulder season the ridership is always low during the week. In fact, last October 70 percent of riders used the ferry on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This year the higher fuel costs for running the ferry seven days per week, without the ridership to support it, has made daily operation not feasible.”

Mayor Kim Driscoll called the suspension of ferry service “unfortunate.” Her office said she expects the ferry to return to operation next year.

“The ferry’s ridership has more than doubled since resuming service in 2006. It serves as both a way to get visitors to Salem, as well as an attractive alternative for getting to Boston for locals and visitors who are already in Salem,” the mayor wrote on the City's Web site. “Moving forward next year though, it is important to me to preserve the ferry as an alternative for those who work in Boston, but realize too that the numbers need to work.”

Walker wrote that the average ridership for the 7 a.m. ferry is 40 commuters. “At an average commuter rate of $5.40 per person, it is not sufficient to cover the fuel costs,” he said.

Riggin said he had no doubt that “the economics of operating the ferry for relatively few commuters are most likely unfavorable,” but he says  that is beside the point.

“If the city did not own the ferry, the decision to reduce the schedule would have been a private business decision, but because the city and BBC are partners in this venture, Salem resident commuters should not have to share in the costs of the ferry while being excluded from its daily use," he added.

Too few commuters? he asked. “Well, how about a little marketing effort to attract new commuters! Hey, there's a novel idea.”

The ferry charges $198 a month for a daily commuter pass. That is $30 a month more than what the train service to Boston costs, Riggin said. He said he knows a lot of commuters have to ride the train to save the money.

He argues that the fee for tourists should be increased.

“The ferry is packed with tourists all summer, as well as during October,” he said. “Was there any discussion relative to how elastic the tourist ticket pricing might be? I don't know for sure, but I'll bet if you added a dollar to the cost of a one-way tourist fare, you'd experience no reduction in ridership.”

Walker, who did not respond to questions about the actual operating losses, wrote: “We appreciate the loyalty and passion our commuters have for this service, and have let them know that we look forward to next season.”

Several councilors and the mayor were in contact with unhappy commuters last week.

One councilor is looking ahead to bring the ferry back next year.

Ward 5 Councilor John H. Ronan said the ferry is “a very, very cool thing.” He said he hopes that the city can promote it better and bring it back next year.

For more about Boston's Best Cruises, visit www.bostonsbestcruises.com.

Aubry Bracco contributed to this report.