Higher ferry fares in effect

The difference of 60 cents yesterday was enough to make Tacoma resident Joey Pagaduan reconsider whether she'd continue to use Washington State Ferries.

"I can't believe it," said Pagaduan, noting that she paid $5.10 each, up from $4.50, for herself and her husband to ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island as walk-on passengers.

Ferry fares went up an average of 12.5 percent yesterday, thanks to a rate boost approved last month by the state Transportation Commission.

This is the second year in a row that customers have been hit with higher fares. Rates went up an average of 20 percent last year, when the ferry system began a six-year plan to raise rates to cover 80 percent of its operating costs.

Yesterday's general rate increase came at the same time annual "peak season" increases kicked in. The season lasts through Oct. 13.

A one-way trip between Seattle and Bremerton now costs a car and driver $11.25, up from $8. After Oct. 13, the trip will cost $9 at the off-peak rate. Round trips cost double.

On her way to Poulsbo for a Mother's Day clam bake with her husband and two kids, Pagaduan said the increase may make her reconsider whether to drive there rather than take the ferry.

"Ten dollars in gas is enough to get to Kingston and back," said Pagaduan, who rides the ferry a few times a week. "I'd rather drive."

"Frequent user" car and driver ticket books also went up yesterday from $128 to $144 for 10 round trips, while foot passenger books went from $31.50 to $38.25.

But the fare changes were good news for commuter Steve Yanagimachi, who takes a vanpool daily from Bainbridge Island to Seattle and uses a monthly ferry pass.

The state ferry system lowered the cost of monthly passes to benefit commuters who use the ferries frequently. It saves the Boeing computer specialist $4 a month.

"It definitely makes it affordable," said Yanagimachi, who was returning home with his son yesterday after having brunch with his mother in Seattle. "Yippee! It's a price reduction."

Starting Wednesday, the state ferries will sell the monthly passes at 13 retail stores near ferry terminals to meet increased demand.

Even with reduced fees for monthly passes, college student Shaun Seljestad, 21, complained that the cost is still too high. He worried about future increases.

"It adds up," said Seljestad, who lives in Silverdale. "It's still a lot of money."

He takes the Seattle-Bainbridge Island ferry every day to attend Seattle Central Community College and work as a line cook in Seattle.

Some ferry riders grumbled yesterday about the impact of Initiative 695, which voters approved in 1999. The initiative prompted the Legislature to replace value-based motor-vehicle excise taxes with a flat $30 fee.

As a result of the lost tax revenue, the ferry system's operating funds were cut by 20 percent and its capital funds were cut 75 percent.

"If they hadn't done away with the vehicle excise tax, we wouldn't have the ferry increases," observed Eugenie Osmun, who was sitting on the sunny upper ferry deck on her way to celebrate Mother's Day with her daughter.

Osmun said motor vehicle owners should pay taxes according to the cost of their car, rather than have the state raise general ferry fares.

Also yesterday, the state ferry system began a new pricing structure for the San Juan Islands. Riders traveling Wednesday through Saturday will pay more than those who travel on other days.

Zach Davis, a construction worker who lives in Silverdale, said, "There are hard-working people trying to commute back and forth.

"With the price increases, it discourages people from taking the ferry and encourages them to drive around."

He said his friends who live in the San Juan Islands worry about the increases in ferry rates and their impact on tourism.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Margraf stocked up on enough coupon passes to cushion him for the next two months. (Editor's Note: This story has been altered since original publication to correct Margraf's rank.)

"Quite honestly, it's still pretty cheap," said Margraf, who's stationed on the USS Carl Vinson.

He, his wife and two kids were headed to Seattle yesterday to celebrate Mother's Day.

"It's a for-use fee and those who use it should pay for it. It's still very reasonable," Margraf said.