Oak Bluffs Raises Ferry License Fees

A 10 per cent license fee hike is on the horizon for three Oak Bluffs ferry lines.

Last Tuesday, the select board voted to increase the amount the town charges the Rhode Island Fast Ferry, the Patriot Boat and the Island Queen to operate in and out of the town’s harbor this summer.

Michael Santoro of the harbor advisory committee told the select board that it was long past time to up these boats’ license fees, which the town uses to fund local infrastructure.

“I don’t think there has been a fee increase in probably eight years or so,” Mr. Santoro said.

Mr. Santoro said that the 10 per cent hike represents an extra $3,600 in fees for the Island Queen, $2,899 for the Fast Ferry and $1,200 for the Patriot Boat per year.

These fees are charged for using the harbor, town officials said.

Mr. Santoro argued that new higher harbor fees on the three Oak Bluffs services are an important part of supporting forthcoming town projects, including shoreline resiliency and the harbor’s bulkhead.

“We need to do our housekeeping,” he said.

Select board member Emma Green-Beach questioned how the ferry operators would feel about the proposed increase.

“How do you think that this will be received?” she asked.

Harbor master Emily deBettencourt said she reached out to the ferry companies to alert them that the select board would be discussing an ferry license fee increase, but did not receive a response.

Ms. Green-Beach suggested setting up a rate increase schedule in the future so that harbor fees can climb at a steady rate and ferry operators are kept in the loop. Though she was ultimately supportive of the increase, she cautioned against alienating ferry operators that bring business into town.

“Ten per cent… sounds very fair,” she said. “But we also want to maintain our good business relationships.”

In an email to the Gazette, acting town administrator Wendy Brough said that Tuesday’s decision doesn’t preclude negotiations with the ferry operators.

“There is … nothing in the decision that prevents the owner/operators of these ferry services from discussing lease terms with the select board,” she wrote. “As the select board oversees the leases, it has the authority to establish lease rates and, where appropriate, negotiate concessions or adjustments.”

In the future, Mr. Santoro said he’d like to address the lack of a consistent fee structure among the three different lines.

“The minute they stop operating this coming fall, we are going to dig deep into the fee structure and how that’s going to work,” he said.

This article appears in May 22, 2026.