Some Islanders are speaking out against a set of rate hikes which take effect this week at the Steamship Authority.

An online petition to repeal the rate increases had collected almost 2,400 signatures by Thursday morning. The rate changes took effect Tuesday.

The fare increases were approved in October to close a budget shortfall, but with falling fuel prices, supporters of the petition say the hikes are no longer justifiable. “The fuel and oil markets have declined by roughly 50 per cent since summer,” the petition reads in part. “This is now creating a multi-million dollar surplus and thus should be reason enough to suspend and or repeal the current rate increase.”

The increases affect excursion passenger fares, excursion rates for cars and parking.

Round-trip fares in the automobile excursion program are going up from $61 to $63 in the off-season and from $92 to $94 in summer.

The adult passenger fare also went up 50 cents, bringing that fee to $8.50 for a one-way trip, including embarkation fees.

Daily parking fees in the Falmouth lots will go up from $13 to $15 in the high season and from $10 to $13 a day in the off-season.

Now, just as the increases go into effect, Islanders and others are speaking out through social media. The author of the petition, Todd Rebello, says in light of the plummeting cost of fuel, rate increases should be repealed or at least stalled. “There was no justification for the rate increase,” Mr. Rebello said by telephone this week. “The line item at the time showed there was a large potential surplus that was being built in the fuel line.”

But SSA general manager Wayne Lamson said he would not recommend a repeal or suspension of the rate hikes. Since the 2015 budget was approved, he said three costly boat and terminal maintenance projects have been moved from the fiscal 2014 to the 2015 budget. Any savings in fuel will be offset by costs associated with these projects, Mr. Lamson said.

“These contracts have already been awarded,” he said. “Without any change orders or anything else, we already know the minimum amount that these contracts are going to cost.”

Further, he said the boat line always operates under a net surplus, which allows them to pay off debt and replace equipment. There are several big projects in the pipeline, including major reconstruction work at the Woods Hole terminal and the purchase of a new ferry.

“It’s all to provide better, more reliable service in the future,” Mr. Lamson said.

He said the rate hikes were announced in September, and reviewed at meetings of the port council and the board of governors, the two public bodies that govern the boat line. He said at the time, no one could have anticipated that fuel prices would drop this much and this quickly.

Reserved for year-round Islanders, low-cost excursion fares have seen a steady increase since 1990, the first year the boat line has records for the rate. The last rate increase was two years ago, when excursion rates went up by $2. More than 13,000 customer accounts on the Vineyard and Nantucket are eligible for excursion rates. Passenger fares also went up on the Vineyard route in 2011.

The petition, which has circulated primarily through social media, attracted 750 signatures on the first day, Jan. 1. This came as a surprise to Mr. Rebello, who set up the petition on moveon.org, a website for grassroots movements, with low expectations. “There was no big campaign here, this was no big plan,” he said. “It was out there and it struck a nerve.”

Mr. Rebello, a former Oak Bluffs selectman and retail store owner, said the SSA has poor public relations. “We are the stakeholders,” he said. “We need to be heard before decisions of this magnitude are made.”

In addition to signing their name and declaring their residence, many participants also left comments.

Many said they were already struggling to afford the costs of ferry transportation. Some complained about the already high cost of living on the Island, which they or their relatives call home.

Others called for change in leadership at the Steamship Authority.

That’s not Mr. Rebello’s goal, he said. He said Marc Hanover, who has been the Vineyard governor for more than 11 years, has his support. Still, he pointed to a disconnect between public opinion and Mr. Hanover’s actions on their behalf.

“It’s about public process,” Mr. Rebello said. “It’s about giving our representative more direction. He needs to hear the people on the Island.”

Mr. Hanover could not be reached for the story.