Massachusetts Ferry Transportation Compact
Compact Membership Meeting
June 25, 2013
10:30 AM
Steamship Authority Hyannis Terminal
69 South Street
Hyannis, Massachusetts
Attendance
Ferry Compact Members:
Name
Clinton Bench
Louis Elisa
Janeen Hansen
Josh Katz
Wayne Lamson
Bob Fultz
Jeff Stieb (by phone)
Kathy Winn (by phone)
Affiliation
MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning
Seaport Advisory Council
The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)
Joint Committee on Transportation
Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamship
Authority
Town of Hull
City of New Bedford
City of Salem
Members of the Public who signed in:
Name
Ron Bourne
Ellen Cebula
Annette Demchur
Mike Driscoll
Tom Humphrey
Kevin P. Mooney
Affiliation
Bourne Consulting
Seaport Advisory Council
Central Transportation Planning Staff
Division of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) Waterways
Central Transportation Planning Staff
DCR Waterways
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Staff:
Paul Nelson
Office of Transportation Planning
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Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
Meeting Summary
The meeting began with a welcome from Clinton Bench, the Deputy Director of the MassDOT Office of
Transportation Planning. The compact members then introduced themselves, followed by the members
of the audience.
Opening Remarks
Clinton Bench welcomed everyone to the Steamship Authority’s Hyannis Terminal and thanked Wayne
Lamson for hosting the meeting. Clinton informed the compact that the City of Lynn started running
passenger ferry service to Boston in May 2014. The city is currently running two round trips in the
morning and two trips in the afternoon. Clinton stated that at the federal level the biggest news is the
impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund. Without action from the U.S. Congress the federal
government will soon be decreasing the reimbursement starting at 60% of funds and eventually
removing the reimbursement.
Bob Fultz announced that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has extended
weekend service to Hingham and Hull.
MAP-21 Grant Program Update
Paul Nelson announced that on June 2, 2014 the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the
award of $60 million in competitive funds for 26 projects in 13 states and Puerto Rico through the
Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Passenger Ferry Grant Program. All three projects submitted by
the Massachusetts Ferry Compact were awarded. The grant award information is summarized below.
FTA Passenger Ferry Grant Program Awards in Massachusetts
Recipient
Massachusetts Bay
Transportation
Authority
Project Description
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) will receive funding to replace a twin engine
and obsolete steering control equipment on the
"Lightning" high speed catamaran ferry, which
provides commuter ferry service between Quincy,
Hull, Boston and Logan International Airport.
Amount Awarded
$904,000
Massachusetts Bay
Transportation
Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) will receive funding to construct an inner
harbor water taxi docking facility to be built in
conjunction with a new ferry wharf and terminal
building redevelopment project (including office and
residential space) currently under construction at
Lovejoy Wharf, adjacent to the North Station
intermodal transit hub in downtown Boston.
$600,000
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Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
Massachusetts Bay
Transportation
Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) will receive funding to upgrade the Pemberton
Pier ferry terminal located in Hull, Massachusetts, to
improve commuter ferry service between Quincy, Hull,
Boston and Logan International Airport.
$196,542
In addition to the FTA Passenger Ferry Grants, U.S. DOT also announced full funding of the Federal
Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Ferry Boat Formula Program, which is providing $63.5 million to 114
operators in 37 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The two eligible recipients in
Massachusetts, the Steamship Authority and the MBTA, will receive over $1.2 million.
A member of the Ferry Compact asked what the Steamship Authority intended to do with the funding
they received through the Ferry Boat Formula Program. Wayne Lamson responded that the Authority
intends to use the funds to upgrade their maintenance facility in Fairhaven.
Update on the CTPS Technical Services Contract
Tom Humphrey from the Central Transportation Planning Staff presented the findings of the draft Ferry
System Trends (Task 1.2 of the technical services contract) and the Ferry Demand Estimation (Task 1.3 of
the technical services contract). The Ferry System Trends document includes information on ferry
services with similar attributes to the Massachusetts system, primarily in Seattle, San Francisco and New
York City. The Ferry Demand Estimation document includes information on the methods used to
estimate the ridership on potential new ferry services. Most methods are similar to those used to
estimate transit system ridership.
Clinton Bench asked if the documents would include a recommended approach to travel demand
estimation. Tom Humphrey responded that the techniques were pretty much the same procedure as
existing transit. Although he added it is important to identify if ferry is the best service, meaning if it
would it be time competitive. Clinton suggested that the final reports discuss the different factors
influencing the demand estimation technique that should be used. It should also include some way to
account for the draw of ferry service as a premium transportation mode.
Janeen Hansen asked if Tom had found if there is walkability quotient for ferry facilities, if there was a
standard walking distance to a ferry facility. Tom replied that there was no clear consensus but that it
would probably be similar to the radius used for other transit services.
Louis Elisa asked if any comparison was made on how the cost of tolls influenced ferry ridership. Tom
replied that there had been some work done in New York City, but that overall the experience there is
on a larger scale and therefore not a good model to follow for other ferry services. Louis followed up by
asking if there was a congestion factor that influenced ferry ridership. Tom responded that the fares on
the ferries in New York City are more expensive because it is such a high cost area.
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Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
Clinton Bench suggested that when the analysis of potential new routes is conducted it should balance
cost & travel time. He added that it might be hard to apply the CTPS travel demand model to ferry boat
ridership due to its large scale. Louis Elisa added that it is important that any travel demand model is
built correctly. Clinton stated that the CTPS travel demand model is currently being updated to reflect
the results of a comprehensive household travel survey across the Commonwealth.
Louis Elisa stated that an environmental piece also needs to be incorporated into the evaluation of ferry
services. Tom Humphrey responded that it would, but that the results may be mixed due to the fact
that high-speed ferries are not very fuel efficient.
Bob Fultz asked if there are many examples of how midday excursion trips can help make commuter
service by private operators successful. Tom responded that Chicago a potential example where there
are water taxis that conduct a mix of business. He also pointed to the commuter service out of Tiburon,
California which is operated by the private Blue & Gold fleet.
Ron Bourne stated that it is crucial for private operators to keep their boats moving to maximize the
return on their assets. He stated that any plan to utilize privately-owned vessels will need to recognize
that but that use of publicly-owned vessels may not. He added that when trying to estimate ridership,
there are several different factors that must be considered. There are a percentage of people who will
ride, but it is small. He added that people also don’t like to change modes of transportation. A further
complication is that having a dispersed origin/destination pattern makes it hard to get ridership. Finally,
he stated that it would be a good idea to have a second look at any estimates developed, especially by
private operators, to certify their accuracy.
Tom Humphrey added that the excursion market also has a saturation point. Bob Fultz asked if Boston
Harbor Cruises uses the commuter vessels for excursion trips. Tom replied that they are mainly
separate businesses.
Louis Elisa asked how the Salem ferry service would be classified. Tom responded that it would be
classified mostly as a tourist-oriented service. Bob Fultz asked if the Salem service is subsidized. Louis
Elisa responded that public funds were used to build the terminal and for part of the vessel purchase.
Janeen Hansen asked if there was any example of real estate developers funding ferry services. Tom
responded that most of the services from New Jersey to Manhattan were initiated by real estate
developers. Bob Fultz added that the Town of Hull is working to institute a fee in lieu of service where
developers would help support the ferry service instead of providing it directly.
Other Business
Paul Nelson stated that following the completion of Tasks 1.2 and 1.3, CTPS was scoped to provide
additional technical documents as requested by the Ferry Compact. He pointed out that the next two
tasks originally identified are: Task 2.1 - To analyze the benefits and impacts of Ferry Service on Host
Communities, and Task 2.2 – Analyze the Massachusetts Ferry System for any Unmet Ferry Travel
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Ferry Compact Meeting Summary
Demand. He asked the Compact members for feedback if these two tasks still had value. There was
general agreement from the Compact members that these tasks should be pursued. Kevin Mooney
stated that service within Cape Cod Bay should be included in Task 2.2 as DCR has started looking at
service from Quincy and Plymouth to Barnstable and other points on Cape Cod. He stated that this
service is envisioned as a business-subsidized service for their workers to access Cape Cod jobs now that
occupancy rates have been enforced. He pointed out that such a service would require off-hours
operation. Louis Elisa added that the analysis should also incorporate the impact of the CapeFLYER train
service. Ellen Cebula added that there was a Historic Ports Study that accomplished many of the
components that would be included in these tasks. Paul Nelson asked her to provide a copy of the study
so it could be distributed to the Compact.
The Compact agreed that the next meeting should include the following agenda items:
- What happened to the other projects not selected for FTA funding
- How are subsidies administered for other ferry services?
- How do we strengthen bicycle connections to the ferry facilities?
- Outline of approach to CTPS technical services tasks 2.1 and 2.2
It was determined that the next meeting of the Ferry Compact would be in early September, location
TBD, but likely in Boston.
The meeting concluded at 12:30 PM.
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