St. Johns River Ferry riders will face increased fares Oct. 1 when a new commission created by the City plans to take over operation of the link for Florida A1A between Heckscher Drive and Mayport Village.
The St. Johns River Ferry Commission met Monday at City Hall to discuss changes to the ferry fare rates.
It approved increasing the fare for car, van and truck riders from $5 to $6.
Any vehicle longer than 20 feet will be charged $10 because it must occupy two spaces on the ferry. The commission believed drivers should pay for what they are using. Currently, a truck with a boat is $5 plus another $1 for the boat.
A coupon book of 20 crossings also was increased from $60 to $80.
The Jacksonville Port Authority, which currently is operating the ferry but voted in February to halt its operation, stopped selling the coupon book in preparation for the transfer of operations to the City. It has about 400 coupon books remaining and the commission voted to let the port sell them.
In the transfer legislation considered Tuesday by City Council, the port agreed to reimburse the City for one year, up to $35,000, for the remaining coupon books held by ferry riders. The commission plans to start selling the new books Oct. 1, if Council approves the transfer of operations.
“We are starting to see a decline in ridership since we stopped the sale of coupon books. We need to sell the rest of the books and pick up that momentum again,” said Marla Buchanan, who was appointed to the commission by Mayor Alvin Brown and is awaiting Council approval.
The commission on Monday also approved the elimination of free rides for port officials, law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, and lifeguards unless they are responding to an emergency.
The commission decided to leave the fare at $1 for pedestrians and bicycle riders.
The changes to the rate structure are expected to raise an additional $300,000 for the ferry, which would cut the annual operating deficit – $600,000 according to the port – in half. About $400,000 has been pledged to continue operation of the ferry while the commission seeks a sustained funding source for operations and capital costs. However, $200,000 is subject to Council approval and $200,000 from the port is contingent upon that approval.
The commission also discussed charging a higher rate on weekends, implementing an express lane, improving the process of collecting fares and a per-passenger charge, but decided to delay those changes until after it took control of the ferry.
The ferry currently accepts cash only and the commission was interested in providing a credit/debit option, but the issue of fare collectors operating outside during storms and the effect of rain on equipment caused the commission to hold off on that idea, too.
It also decided against pursuing a per-passenger charge for each person besides the driver in a vehicle, an idea suggested by Greg Dronkert, president of HMS Ferries Inc., the operator of the St. Johns River Ferry.
“I think we may defer that for further discussion. I see a lot of people jumping in the trunk before they pull on to the ferry, kind of like what we used to do at the drive-in,” said John Crescimbeni, Council member and commission chair.
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