To the Editor:
We can now read exactly the amount/cost of the nine days of fast ferry service billed to the Steamship Authority by Seastreak service two weeks ago: http://bit.ly/SSAfastferry.
Here is a back-of-the-envelope cost breakdown:
- Total cost $126,500
- Per-day rate is $14,056
- Per-boat trip rate (assuming 26 trips a day) is $540 a trip
At the regular slow boat passenger fee of $8.50 the fast ferry is operating in the black with any number of passengers above 63 passengers per trip.
The Whaling City’s capacity is 149 passengers (Source: seastreak.com/about-seastreak/strong-capable-fleet/).
In summary, if the Whaling City fast ferry can run at an average of 42 percent capacity on the Woods Hole–Martha’s Vineyard route, the fast ferry service is in the black even at 26 trips per day.
Nat Trumbull
Woods Hole
