County to set hearing for North Ferry rate changes
The Suffolk County Legislature has scheduled a public hearing to change North Ferry rates — changes which, for the first time, would include a special rate for Greenport residents who commute via the ferry.
The company has requested permission to raise single-trip rates by $1. A one-way fare for car and driver would cost $11 and a round-trip fare would cost $16 under the new proposal, according to a legal notice in this week’s paper.
But the proposed rate change also gives Greenport ferry commuters the opportunity to purchase a prepaid book of 10 one-way tickets for $60 or a book of 10 same-day round-trip tickets for $68, according to the legal notice. Each block of 10 tickets is valid from Monday to Sunday. Shelter Island residents already enjoy a similar discount deal and Greenporters have pushed for a discount in the past.
North Ferry general manager Bridg Hunt noted that the rate for passengers in cars and walk-ons will remain at $2.
Mr. Hunt told the Shelter Island Reporter in April that the company has been running year-over-year deficits since 2011 and couldn’t afford to offer a reduced rate.
The public hearing on the proposed changes will be held Tuesday, June 3, at 2:30 p.m. at the Legislature building in Hauppauge.
