Our ferry godmother?
At the June 5, 2007 City Council meeting, the council held a discussion of raising fares on the Oakland/Alameda Ferry. During the meeting, staff presented information that the Port of Oakland would be cutting their operations contribution for the ferry from $83,000 to $79,000.
Mayor Beverly Johnson pounced, asking why it is that the city is paying $600,000 for the ferry and the Port is reducing their contribution. (Oakland riders from Jack London Square make up 53% of the ferry system’s ridership). Johnson immediately asked staff to go back to the Port and tell them that not only is cutting funds not appropriate, but that they should be working to increase the amount the Port is contributing.
The council concurred.
Today, the Oakland Tribune is reporting that the Port has agreed to increase total funding 9% for the coming year.
Total subsidies from the port to the city of Alameda, which operates the ferry, will jump from $174,782 in the 2006-07 fiscal year to $189,997 this year, according to port figures.
The operating subsidy will remain about the same as last year, the increase will go into “such areas as dock upkeep, security and subsidized parking at Jack London Square.”
Unforutnately, this increase will not offset operations costs, and therefore the fares will still rise, but these increases in funding will offset costs that the City will be responsible for.
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