Facing the possibility of up to $1 million in unplanned fuel costs, Steamship Authority management is taking a hard look at slowing down its ferries to and from Martha's Vineyard as a way to cut costs.
SSA General manager Wayne Lamson said yesterday that reducing speeds would be "at the top of our list" for reining in operating costs at the boat line.
The Steamship Authority has forecasted operating expenses this year of $63.5 million.
Sparking a fresh war of words between the Steamship Authority and
the town of Tisbury, the Vineyard boat line governor said yesterday he
may call for the state attorney general to look into how the town plans
to use its ferry fee revenues.
Passenger and Car Fares Stay the Same But Commuters, Truckers,
Schools All Can Expect Sharp Increases
HYANNIS - Vineyard residents will shoulder the bulk of next
year's rate increases, which were unanimously approved by
Steamship Authority governors at their monthly meeting in Hyannis on
Wednesday.
In spite of a tumultuous first three years as Vineyard Steamship
Authority governor, Kathryn A. Roessel wants more.
On Wednesday Ms. Roessel submitted a letter to the Dukes County
commissioners, formally seeking reappointment to the high-profile
volunteer position. Her current three-year term expires at the end of
the December.
Business Leaders Want to Say: Boat Reservations Are a Mess
By ALEXIS TONTI
The Steamship Authority vehicle reservation system is broken.
That was the take-home message this week at a forum that started as
a focused debate about the boat line's new guaranteed standby
policy and expanded to a broad indictment of the way the SSA books
passengers.
The forum, hosted by the Dukes County Commission, was held Wednesday
at the Vineyard Transit Authority administration building.
With a contract that expired more than a year ago and no real end in sight at the bargaining table, tension has begun to escalate between management and vessel workers at the Steamship Authority.
Union workers picketed SSA terminals on both sides of the sound over Memorial Day weekend, waving signs that put the spotlight on a simmering and now long-running dispute over manning levels, wages and retirement benefits.
