July 6, 2011Dear Sir,There has been much discussion of the new ferry schedule on the Hamilton/Warwick/Paget (pink) route both when it was introduced in April and revised at the end of June. When the summer ferry schedule was introduced on April 11, 2011 there were some complaints which, as reported in your paper, seemed to emanate from the guest houses on Harbour Road and some of the residents of Hinson Island. Whilst the reduced schedule may have been an inconvenience to a few people, it would appear that the majority of those using the ferry as a commuter service adapted to it. In advising the public of the reinstatement of the weekend/holiday schedule, it was reported in your paper on June 23 and 24, that a fare increase was suggested by the guest houses and Hinson Island residents to cover the cost. The Minister was quoted on June 24: “The rate increase will be such that the cost to the tourist really won't be substantial at all”.The announcement in The Royal Gazette on Monday, July 4, that the fares on the Warwick/Paget ferry route are set to rise by 100 percent is therefore a cause of considerable concern. It seems unreasonable to expect the commuters who use the ferry on a daily basis, winter and summer whatever the weather, to subsidise the weekend/holiday service for a few visitors in the summer and the few residents of Hinson Island who use the ferry. One of the stated complaints from one of the guest houses was that without the weekend/holiday and midday schedule it cost $12 each way to get to Hamilton. This is not unreasonable when divided between two, three or four people in a taxi. By comparison an increase of 100 percent may not affect those using the ferry on an occasional basis but if it is going to cost $10 per day to get to/from Hamilton to go to work the ferry will not be the first choice of transport. Maybe there should be a commuter fare for the Monday to Friday user and a separate market rate fare for the weekend/holiday and off-peak service.The Minister is urging people to use the ferry service, but to double the fares may be counterproductive, particularly if more than one member of the household uses the ferry into Hamilton. It will become more economic to use a car which will have the dual effect of reducing ridership on the ferries and adding more vehicles to the already congested traffic on Harbour and Middle Road during the peak travel period. I wonder how many people have used the ferry at the weekend and on the additional daytime runs since they were reinstated on June 27. When the ferry schedule is reviewed in the autumn and the weekend/holiday schedule is removed again due to the lack of ridership, will the fares be reduced? I doubt it. I hope the Minister will reconsider this decision.PINK ROUTE FERRY USER