They can work here, move to Seattle, drive around or pay up. If West Sound offered jobs comparable to those on the other side, workers wouldn't be commuting in the first place. If housing prices weren't so exorbitant around Seattle, they wouldn't be living here. Driving around through Tacoma can be more expensive, time-consuming and stressful than sailing across Puget Sound. You can't get a job in Bremerton that pays, and you can't get a house in Seattle.
Most commuters can only grumble and bear the fare hikes.
The agency doubled its fares Jan. 1 and reduced service by 25 percent. Its officials are calling for fare increases of 40 percent to 50 percent in each of the next two years. That would come with a 13 percent service reduction, including mothballing the passenger-only ferries this summer. The bus from East Bremerton used to be free for Moen and other riders because Kitsap Transit was encouraging people not to drive downtown during Bremerton Transportation Center construction. That changes his perspective of I-695.