From “Ferries responds to Triangle route concerns” Nov 21:

“But Ferries notes its fare structure would need to be simplified if GoodtoGo! were to be implemented as the system does not have the ability to count passengers in vehicles. This lost revenue would need to be captured in other ways,” the FAQ document indicates.”

I think they are missing the main point about using GoodToGo! — charge only for cars and not passengers.

Why do they keep telling us GoodToGo won’t work without backing it up with numbers? Let me be the first to paint what the landscape might look like if passengers were allowed to ride free.

This is a public transit system. By it’s very nature it is a subsidized entity. The only real issue is the level of subsidy. According to their numbers, the recovery rate (100 percent recovery means the system pays for itself) for the triangle route was 56 percent in 2016. By moving car fares to GoodToGo and letting passengers ride free, that rate would likely move down no more than 5 percent — and it may actually remain stable with the added traffic full boats allow. To put that in perspective, Metro’s best years barely break 30 percent, up from 20 percent in 2016 (they’re bragging about how well they’re doing).

But the most important part by far is this: The minute GoodToGo is put in place, the ferries leave full, and we all stop paying the missed boat tax on our way home.

If you agree with the above, let them know loud and clear.

— Jar Lyons