Ferry company eliminates round-trip fare

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A ferry approaches Cumberland Head, returning from the Lake Champlain Transportation Co. dock at Grand Isle, Vt. Citing too many lost tickets, the company no longer offers round-trip fares between New York and Vermont. Staff Photo / Kelli Catana

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January 26, 2012

MIRANDA ORSO Press-Republican The Press Republican Thu Jan 26, 2012, 09:43 AM EST

BURLINGTON — Lake Champlain Ferries recently removed the option for a round-trip fare, which raises the cost for travelers who now have to buy two one-way tickets.

A one-way ticket for car and driver is $9.50 plus, as of March 2011, a fuel surcharge of 30 cents. The round-trip fare was $18, with an added surcharge of 55 cents. The one-way fare for car and driver remains the same at $9.80, which means those who would have benefited from the round-trip ticketing now pay $1.05 more by purchasing one-way tickets coming and going.

"We no longer have round-trip fares because folks were losing their tickets and becoming increasingly frustrated," Lake Champlain Transportation Company Operations Manager Heather Stewart told the Press-Republican.

This is the first change to the ferry rates since January 2008.

DISCOUNT BOOKS

Travelers are encouraged to take advantage of the commuter card or commuter ticket books, Stewart said.

By utilizing this option, she said, travelers will see a 30-percent discount on regular one-way trips.

Stewart said the commuter card, which is available for a minimum of $50, has become very popular since it first went into use in September 2008.

An application is required to sign up for the card. It is available for download at www.ferries.com or can be picked up at any of the company's ticket booths.

Commuter ticket books are available for purchase with a local check or cash at all ticket booths. The cost for a ticket book starts at $137 for car and driver.

Any credit-card transactions for either the commuter card or ticket book must be done at the main ferry office in Burlington or by calling (802) 864-9804.

FUEL CHARGE

The fuel surcharge of 3 percent, first applied in March 2011, is based upon the average cost of diesel fuel, Stewart said.

The surcharge is reviewed once a month, on the 15th. When the cost to the ferry company falls below $3 a gallon, the surcharge will be removed, ferry operators said.

PORT KENT

The Port Kent-to-Burlington run is closed for the winter.

The one-way fare for that ride will be $17.50 once it reopens, plus the fuel surcharge.

HARD TO HANDLE

The elimination of the round-trip option has some commuters and occasional ferry travelers concerned.

Scott Hipko, a researcher at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, said he had moved from Plattsburgh to Burlington to avoid rising commuting costs.

"I am now a resident of Vermont in large part due to the costs of a daily commute, particularly the ferry. My wife and I were spending over $400 a month on discounted passes, and now that we both work and live here, we no longer buy passes," Hipko said.

BRIDGE HOPES

Dr. Jerome Davis, a retired physician, shares Hipko's distress over ticketing changes. Both are concerned that lack of competition and that increasing fuel prices could mean more rate modifications in the future.

In the past, both have raised the idea of constructing a bridge across the lake. They said research they did in the past showed such a solution would be very costly but feasible.

"Why we do not have a bridge in the highest-traffic region of interstate commerce escapes me and others who travel back and forth on a regular basis," Hipko added.

There is no government proposal to build a bridge from Plattsburgh spanning Lake Champlain, although the idea has been tossed around by hopeful travelers for decades.