Islanders have repeatedly grumbled about Blue Line restrictions so much so that the Steamship Authority (SSA) decided to open up conversations about whether to return to the old standby system.
During the Tuesday morning Port Council meeting, Joe Sollitto, the Oak Bluffs councillor, called for a return to the old standby system.
“I don’t think the Blue Line is working,” Sollitto said.
The Blue Line is a standby specifically for Islanders with preferred and excursion accounts, which provide booking preferences for ferry trips. It has a rolling limit of 12 cars, although more may be accommodated depending on space availability. The SSA board voted in Nov. 2024 to drop the traditional standby line, which didn’t ask a reservation holder’s account type, on a trial basis because of congestion contributed to by construction, like that of the Woods Hole terminal.
“Most of those projects are done … I don’t see why we can’t bring back standby,” Sollitto said, noting the ferry line’s plans for more parking availability at Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven.
Allison Fletcher, SSA shoreside operations director, said it is still a tight space while the temporary buildings in Woods Hole, like the old ticket office, are removed.
But Sollitto said a more flexible standby than the Blue Line would be helpful for the Vineyard. He said some Island hotel owners told him of a drop in bookings this year compared to previous years.
“I don’t know whether that’s impacting some of the merchants on the Vineyard because people aren’t going to come down to make a reservation if they can’t come over,” Sollitto said.
Alex Kryska, SSA general manager, noted that he’s seen social media posts in the past month of how the Blue Line was “shut down,” which he attributed to mechanical issues like the passenger ferry Island Home needing to swap out for the freight ferry Sankaty. The freight ferry has just under half the vehicle carrying capacity, and some passengers couldn’t be accommodated.
While a decision wasn’t made, Kryska said a return to the previous system warranted exploration, even if it is a more limited version than before.
Fletcher said that the SSA can only do the Blue Line system or the old standby, not both.
Meanwhile, Seastreak is exploring possibly reviving an off-season route from New Bedford to the Island. Seastreak previously offered a year-round route to Vineyard Haven but pulled the plug in 2024 after only a year when it lost roughly $200,000 from the venture. But with the South Coast Rail trains in full operation, the New Bedford ferry company plans to fill the revenue gap with grants.
Kryska noted some people commute to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Falmouth Academy from New Bedford.
“I talked to them about Woods Hole and maybe adding a stop there,” Kryska said of Seastreak.
Meanwhile, Offshore Tug and Transportation, which offers freight services between New Bedford and Nantucket, is looking to add a Vineyard route from the South Coast city to its license. Kryska said the need will be looked at since there are already freight services provided between New Bedford and the Vineyard by 41 North Offshore and RM Packer Co.
