Leaders on Whidbey Island are not happy with the continual increases in ferry fares, especially since it appears that riders on the Clinton-Mukilteo route are subsidizing those on other routes.

In fact, an analysis of fares by The Record shows they have increased beyond the inflation rate since 2011.

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon, the only commissioner in the state with two ferry routes in her district, drafted a letter to the Washington State Transportation Commission to express the elected leaders’ “surprise and disappointment over the large increases.”

Bacon decided to write the letter after discussing rates during a Regional Transportation Planning Organization meeting. All three commissioners, Oak Harbor Mayor Ronnie Wright, Coupeville Mayor Molly Hughes, Langley Mayor Kennedy Horstman, South Whidbey Port Commissioner Curt Gordon and Port of Coupeville Commissioner Martin Vanderpas are being asked to sign the letter.

The letter notes that fares across the system increased by 3% in October 2025 and are scheduled to increase another 3% in May 2026. In addition, a 3% credit card fee is being added in March 2026 and the 25% summer surcharge is going up to 35%.

That’s a 16% increase for cash payments and a hike of more than 20% for credit card payments in just one year.

“Add that all up, and a standard vehicle and driver on Whidbey who paid $29.23 in September 2025 to drive round-trip to their doctor in Everett will pay $34.11 in September 2026,” the letter states.

Moreover, the letter points out that the Clinton route is the second most used one in the state and is one of the few that “operate in the black.”

“We understand the need to increase revenue for WSDOT,” the letter states. “We do not understand why the responsibility for doing so is being borne unevenly by Whidbey Island ferry passengers. To us, this is comparable to charging a fee to citizens who use Highway 5 to drive to work.”

The letter asks the state Transportation Commission to eliminate the planned increase next year.

According to statistics obtained from Washington State Ferries, the fares have increased by more than the rate of inflation even without considering the summer surcharge, which was implemented in 2013.

A standard, one-way vehicle fare on the Clinton-Mukilteo route increased from $7.35 in October 2011 to $12.05 in October 2025. Prior to that, the vehicle categories were different, so comparisons are difficult. Nevertheless, that’s a 64% increase in 14 years.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices in the Seattle area are 55% higher today as compared to 2011. In the U.S. as a whole, prices increased by an average 47% in that time period.

On the Coupeville-to-Port Townsend route, the standard vehicle fare went from $9.60 in October 2011 to $15.40 in October 2025.

Passenger fares on the Mukilteo-Clinton route cover a traveler’s round trip, whereas vehicle fares are single direction. On the Coupeville-Port Townsend route, both passenger and vehicle fares are single direction, a State Ferries spokesperson explained.

Bacon’s letter states the officials are also unhappy about the ineffective outreach made by State Ferries before the increase went into effect this year. The community meetings, the letter states, focused on the successes State Ferries has had in improving service.

“They did not fully explain what citizens should expect regarding fare increases,” the letter states.

The letter explains that many people on Whidbey, especially on the South End, have to travel to the mainland for medical appointments since health care options are limited on the island. Also, 900 people on the island work at Boeing and have to commute to work on the ferries.

“The thing we’re trying to impress on you is we are not only a tourism destination,” the letter states. “Whidbey Island is home to 70,000 Washington residents who live and work there. The ferry is our highway to work, to school, and to professional care.”

In addition, the letter states that the leaders are concerned about the impact the increase will have on businesses hauling goods to and from the island on the ferries. They request that commercial trucks get a break from the summer surcharge increase.