On Thursday, the Vineyard Transit Authority will mark nationwide Dump the Pump Day — an annual occasion that calls on people to use public transportation to save money, conserve gasoline and reduce greenhouse gases — by cutting its already bargain fares in half and holding a party at the youth hostel in West Tisbury.
Fares for both cars and passengers on Steamship Authority ferries will go up beginning May 1 as a result of soaring world energy prices.
Passenger fare increases on both the Vineyard and Nantucket routes were recommended by boat line management at the April governors’ meeting in New Bedford on Tuesday. The fare hikes are expected to raise an extra $1.5 million in revenue to offset fuel price increases.
But after a long discussion, boat line governors called for raising vehicle rates as well, to provide a further financial cushion of some $575,000.
On an Island already known for its high cost of living, the Vineyard now claims the dubious distinction of having the highest gasoline prices in the state and among the highest in the nation. Prices for regular gas eclipsed the $4 a gallon mark at most Island service stations this week, while premium prices climbed as high as $4.39 a gallon.
Wind, tides and sun are intense subjects for discussion on the Island these days and it’s not all talk about the weather. Alternative energy projects are under way on so many fronts, both private and public, that it is sometimes hard to keep track of them all. But the Vineyard is moving ahead on three projects independently to generate electricity for its own needs, beginning with wind farms.
Troubles in the Middle East and a sour national economy are not far from the minds of Vineyarders trying to make it through this cold winter. Home heating oil and propane prices went through the roof this week.
Yesterday the retail price for home heating oil was $4.199 a gallon, up 23 cents from Tuesday when the price was $3.969.
Sky-high gasoline prices on Martha’s Vineyard — a universal truth here and an unending point of annoyance among Islanders of every stripe who pay dearly at the pump — are not the result of price-fixing, the United States Court of Appeals has found.
A decision by West Tisbury to buy discounted gasoline from the Vineyard Transit Authority for town vehicles has upset the owners of Up-Island Automotive, who told the town selectmen this week the move has both hurt their business and wounded their pride as longtime business owners in the heart of the village.
As the price of gasoline climbs across the country, putting economists and travel analysts on watch for the coming summer season, Vineyard gas prices that famously top the charts suddenly have good company.
Will gas prices reach $5 a gallon, the national experts ask? On the Island they are almost there.
The American Automobile Association (AAA), which tracks gasoline prices around the country, reported yesterday the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.73. Mid-grade fuel was $3.88 and premium gas was $4.01 a gallon.
