As the Steamship Authority (SSA) faces what it calls a tight budget for next year, some Vineyarders say the ferry line should crack down on passengers who are abusing the discount rates available to Islanders in order to mitigate losses.
The SSA is looking at a $174.2 million budget for next year, an increase in part due to record-level fuel prices, and the ferry line has proposed increased fares to supplement revenue. The budget also includes staff training for the ongoing changes to the reservation system and increased repair costs. A final version of the budget still needs to be approved by the SSA board.
SSA treasurer and comptroller Mark Rozum said expense cuts, such as cutting down to the minimum ferry schedule — a three-boat schedule that’s been the case in recent years — were already made to make the proposed budget.
“We don’t have a lot of room for what-ifs,” he said at the budget workshop hosted by the SSA last week at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center. The proposed budget is the tightest he’s worked on so far.
Islanders were concerned about whether the budget was too tight, and if enough was set aside for long-term projects like the replacement of the aging fleet. Questions were also raised about whether certain expenses could be better utilized, such as the $1.4 million in advertisements.
The SSA’s revenue is driven largely by the passenger tickets, but Vineyarders were especially interested in changes to the discounted, Islander-only vehicle reservation tickets, also known as the excursion fare.
The excursion fare is designed to help Islanders for their off-Island travel necessities, such as medical appointments and family events, and it is largely subsidized by the more expensive standard fares paid by visitors. The excursion fare, however, was raised in 2025, for the first time in five years, in part because it seemed to have helped cover the travel expenses of some businesses, which Rozum said was not the intended purpose.
The heavy usage by some individuals hurts the bottom line of the ferry line’s operations, according to Rozum.
Ted Gavin, the Vineyard’s representative on the SSA board, said one idea is an audit of the excursion program to get rid of the commercial vehicles that shouldn’t be qualified for the rate.
Several Islanders said that heavier enforcement was necessary.
“Personally, I think there’s a lot of fraud and abuse of the excursion,” Jeff Kristal, who runs Crocker Inn and is a former Tisbury Select Board chair, said. “I would like to see that weeded out a heck of a lot sooner than a year or two.”
Adam Darack, an Island resident, said the SSA should police businesses that are “abusing” the system by “sneaking commercial vehicles” on the boats. He suggested a warning from the ferry line that carries stricter penalties. Beth O’Connor, co-founder of the SSA Citizens’ Action Group, said the ferry line would see “definite gains” between raising the standard rate for non-Island customers and “cracking down on the abuse of the excursion.”
Rozum noted that stricter language is underway for the new reservation system, but the ferry line needs to take into account that some people’s personal vehicles also act as commercial vehicles. He also said one way to crack down on the excursion rate was more frequent renewals. Currently, renewals take place every two years.
While major changes won’t be implemented for next year, Rozum said potential adjustments will be explored, such as a different way to check addresses while taking into account renters, before an amended excursion program is rolled out. Feedback can be sent to Rozum, whose email is on the SSA website.
Meanwhile, Kryska expressed disappointment about the progress of the new reservation system, which is behind schedule. The system will be partially launched for only the fast ferry on the Nantucket route in February. The reservation system was originally slated to be launched in the spring, and now it’ll miss the goal of going live by the end of the year. Extra layers to the SSA’s reservation makeup, including the excursion fare, contributed to the delays and has been a source of frustration for ferry officials.
“To be perfectly honest, we’re not satisfied,” Kryska said. “We should be much farther along.”
Kryska said the SSA has entered into a “recovery phase” and plans to bring in an external consultant to assess the IT overhaul. If all goes according to plan, the SSA will have a new functioning reservation system by Nov. 1, 2027.
“We can’t unleash it upon the public until it works internally,” he said.
In relation to the transition, Rozum said those who need help to book vehicle reservations can still do so by phone. In September, roughly 50 excursion program customers received a letter that stated that an email address is required to move their information to the new reservation system. Some Vineyarders without computers reached out to The Times worried they wouldn’t be able to receive excursion fares anymore. Rozum said this will not be an issue, and people can call the SSA’s reservation office in Mashpee, where staff can make customers an email address specifically for excursion rate reservations. The number for the Mashpee office is 508-477-8600.
