No new fast ferries would be built, and there would be no work on terminals at Kingston, Southworth and Seattle to serve them. For the past 13 years it's been one challenge after another when it comes to our main form of transportation, the ferries. The cuts make financial sense. Passenger-only ferries recover in fares only 15 percent of what it costs to operate them. They're a drain on state tax revenue.
Most auto ferries come much closer to covering their costs through the farebox.
But the move does not make sense as part of the region's overall transit strategy. The passenger-only program was just about to take off. Funding was approved for three new terminals and four new boats to serve Kingston and Southworth commuters. If you know you only have so much money to go into the future, it doesn't seem prudent to go into this kind of build-up. Lampe said it's not known when the plan would take effect.