Hello Guemes Community,

It is with frustration and disappointment that we are letting you know that the eye popping 2025 Ferry Fare Increase proposal will likely be passed on Monday, Jan. 27th, as it was originally proposed. 

It appears that even with all of our hard work and efforts to work with Skagit County Public Works and the Commissioners, to come up with a reasonable fare proposal based on sound realistic cost estimates and a desire to manage the ferry in a sustainable way – They have decided to pass the proposed 2025 Ferry Fare proposal, as it was originally proposed by Public Works Ferry Division, Grace Kane and Rachel Rowe. 

It will be part of the Consent Agenda for Monday, Jan. 27th at 1:30pm. This means that it is rolled into a long list of other items that the Commissioners will simultaneously approve with a single vote. (This is a normal BoCC function that happens most weeks.) There will be no discussion of the specifics or even a mention of the fare proposal by name during this process, however there is a small time slot for “Public Comment (Specifically related to the agenda item)” which means if you are attending the commissioners meeting in person or over Zoom, you can speak briefly about an item on the Consent Agenda. If you choose to speak about the fare increase, please make your comments brief, succinct, and civil. This is a time to go on record with your opposition to (or less likely, your support for) the exorbitant and unsustainable 2025 Fare Increases. It is unlikely that anything said will change the course of history, but going on record is good civil participation.

Summary of Changes: 

• All Guemes Ferry ticket fares will be increased by 30% across the board. (Hazmat, Emergency, and Charter fees will increase significantly more than 30%)
• The discount for purchasing “frequent user” 20 or 25 punch, car and driver or passenger tickets will be removed completely, resulting in a 90-100% increase in individual fare depending on category.

We have attached the Commissioner’s Agenda for the week of January 27th and have linked the most recent Fare Resolution distributed to the public.  The link to the Resolution

We have also attached some comparison tables to help you visualize the fare increases. One is the Base Fare Increase that does not include the surcharge, and the other is the Posted Fares (what you pay out of pocket) that does include the surcharge.

This situation is frustrating and disappointing for us as the GIFC and we recognize that you are all likely feeling similarly. None of us want the cost of the ferry to continue to increase drastically every year. We all recognize that the ferry system needs to be financially sustainable for both the Guemes community and for the county, but the current trajectory appears to be neither.

Please know that the members of the GIFC will continue to be a voice for all Guemes Ferry ridership, and will continue to advocate for sustainable, transparent, and accountable management of the ferry. Our lives and livelihoods depend on it. 

In Community,

The Guemes Island Ferry Committee