Andy Leech is 78 and lives on Guemes Island. On September 22 he spoke to the Skagit County commissioners over Zoom about the ferry. "At my age … there are times that I would like to drive across," he said, "but when I consider the actual cost of doing that, I take my trusty stick in hand and walk."
From Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 23, every rider crosses the way Leech does. Crews will replace the flaps on the bridge aprons at the Anacortes and Guemes terminals. The county expects the job to take five working days with contractors working around the clock, and during that time the M/V Guemes will run in a passenger-only configuration because the aprons "will not be able to accommodate vehicular traffic of any kind." For many households on the island, that week will feel familiar. Since 2023, the price of driving aboard has pushed a growing share of trips onto foot, and that change is now part of the fare debate the commissioners take up on the second day of the closure.
The fare table behind the change
The county calls the 2026 rates "roundtrip" fares. They took effect January 1, and October 1 began the non-peak season, which runs through May 19. Here is what a regular-size vehicle, a walk-on adult and a senior cyclist have paid since 2023, along with the 2027 rates now under consideration:
| Fare type | 2023 | 2026 | Proposed 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular vehicle, peak | $15.00 | $26.50 | $29.75 |
| Regular vehicle, non-peak | $12.00 | $21.50 | $24.25 |
| Walk-on, peak | $5.00 | $8.50 | $9.50 |
| Walk-on, non-peak | $4.00 | $6.75 | $7.50 |
| Cyclist 65+, peak | $5.00 | $7.25 | $8.25 |
| Cyclist 65+, non-peak | $4.00 | $6.50 | $7.25 |
Read across the rows and the gap is plain. Driving on at today's non-peak rate costs more than three times the walk-on fare. Under the 2027 proposal, the non-peak vehicle fare would be 102% higher than in 2023, a little more than double. The walk-on fare has gone up too, but by about $3 a trip rather than about $10. On a ferry this short, those dollar amounts shape how people plan a day.
Passes have shifted along with single fares. At an August 19 community meeting on the island, which drew about 100 people in person and roughly 40 online, ferry division manager Rachel Rowe said riders stopped buying multi-ride passes after the 2025 increase, the end of discounts and the addition of an expiration date.
Fewer cars, and the farebox still falls short
County data show what happened next. In 2025 passenger ridership fell about 9%, and vehicle ridership fell about 30%. Rowe told commissioners in early August that the drop came partly from riders reacting to higher fares and partly from ten weeks of passenger-only service during that year's extended maintenance haul-out. She has also said residents are crossing less often or walking on instead of driving.
Island residents described the same habits at the September hearing. Allen Bush said some people park on one side or the other and walk aboard, while others ride less often. Michael Brown called it "elasticity," meaning demand drops as prices rise, especially among drivers. "It's important to incentivize people driving on the ferry," he said. "That's how you guys get your revenue." Brown proposed cheaper midday runs "to fill up the boats that are not being filled up" and a pause in 2027 increases.
The county has its own pressures. The ferry's operating and maintenance costs are up 81% since 2017. The farebox is meant to cover 65% of those costs by the end of 2028, and it has fallen short every year since 2018. The county road fund makes up the difference, between $1 million and $2 million a year, and every property owner in unincorporated Skagit County pays into that fund. The county as a whole faces a $10 million budget deficit for 2027. "I feel bad that we keep raising the rates, but we also have to run a business here," Commissioner Peter Browning said on August 18.
These two pressures are now pulling against each other. The 30% increase in 2025 left farebox revenue short of that year's 50% recovery target. A second 30% increase this year has revenue on track to miss the 55% target for 2026. The proposed 14% base increase for 2027 aims to cover 60% of costs, and another increase is expected for 2028. Each step raises the drive-on fare by the largest dollar amount, and drive-on trips are the ones riders have cut most.
Walk-on week, on the calendar
The flap replacement and the fare decision fall in the same week, and the next long passenger-only stretch is already scheduled:
- Monday, October 19 to Friday, October 23. Apron flap replacement at both terminals, with passenger-only sailings throughout. Combined Construction, Inc. was the apparent low bidder at $101,000, above the county engineer's estimate of $73,000.
- Tuesday, October 20. Commissioners are scheduled to vote on whether to raise 2027 fares and, if so, by how much. Fifteen people spoke at the September 22 hearing, and 40 written comments came in between September 8 and September 22.
- Spring 2027. The next full drydock, estimated at four to six weeks. Passenger-only service will run on the regular schedule from the regular docks. Bikes or small motorcycles may be allowed if space is available, and hazardous materials are not allowed.
The flap job is maintenance, not the larger fix. The aprons themselves date to 1979 and 1980 and still need full replacement. That separate capital project would also recoat the bridges and update the hydraulic and electrical systems at both terminals. The county has a $5.79 million federal grant for it and says construction may happen by 2028.
The county's project notice for October 19–23 does not describe arrangements for parking, deliveries, emergency or medical vehicles, or fuel and propane trucks.
That gap matters most on Wednesday. On the regular schedule, the 9:15 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday sailings are reserved for hazardous materials only. The aprons can't take vehicles of any kind during the project, so those truck runs cannot operate on Wednesday, October 21. If a delivery, a propane fill or a contractor's truck is booked for that week, ask before the week starts. The notice lists Ferry Division Manager Rachel Rowe at (360) 416-1466 and [email protected].
Three decisions that stay open after the vote
The October 20 vote settles one number. It leaves three larger questions about how residents will cross in the coming years unresolved.
Service hours. At the August 19 meeting, Assistant Public Works Director Marie Lambert raised the idea of fewer late-evening non-peak runs. Other options discussed included hourly sailings instead of every half hour, a shorter service day, holiday cuts, dropping the second 11:15 a.m. sailing, ending the dedicated gas and propane runs, and dynamic pricing. The county's September 17 fare report says non-peak schedule reductions "could be considered." No reductions have been adopted. The second 11:15 a.m. run is already marked on the timetable as not guaranteed. At the hearing, Browning called formally re-engaging with the Guemes Island Ferry Committee "a very good idea." Commissioner Joe Burns said he wanted more "productive dialogue."
The 2025 fares in court. In January, San Juan County Superior Court Judge Kathryn Loring sided with islanders who had appealed the 2025 increase, finding that some capital expenses had been counted as operating costs. In July she ordered the fares recalculated. On August 31, commissioners voted unanimously to let holders of non-expiring paper punch cards convert them to electronic passes by phone, with no deadline. The larger recalculation dispute is still open. The county appealed to the state Court of Appeals, and on September 14 commissioners voted unanimously to uphold the 2025 fares.
The next boat. On July 7, the Guemes Ferry Replacement Technical Advisory Group, chaired by Sandy McKean, unanimously recommended keeping the current ferry in service for the next 10 years and starting design of a plug-in hybrid replacement in five or more years "to capitalize on expected efficiencies and developments in battery technology." Commissioners asked Public Works to contact Puget Sound Energy about available electricity. That recommendation is advisory, and the county's 2026 capital plan still lists a replacement vessel for 2028. If the board follows the advisory group, the M/V Guemes will keep carrying cars on the 1979-era aprons for years to come, and the fares set this month will apply to the boat islanders already ride.
If you own on Guemes or near the Anacortes terminal and want to talk through how the ferry calendar fits into a sale, a purchase or a renovation, Rob Skelton is glad to go over it with you. Request a free home valuation or consultation, and we will plan around the sailings.
