Steamship Authority Proposing Another Round Of Fare Increases For 2027

The cost of traveling to and from Nantucket is likely going up. Again.

The Steamship Authority’s Board of Governors on Tuesday reviewed proposed across-the-board rate increases for passengers, vehicles, and freight on its ferries in 2027. The fare hikes are being driven by rising fuel costs, which are expected to increase by nearly $5 million, or 43 percent, compared to the previous year, along with employee wages.

The rate increases were presented to the Steamship Authority board along with its proposed $174.1 million budget for 2027, which SSA treasurer and comptroller Mark Rozum described as “a bare-bones budget.”

The fare hikes, which include raises to the discounted excursion rates island residents pay to travel with their vehicles, are intended to raise an additional $9.8 million in revenue, split proportionally between the Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard routes.

Here is the breakdown of the proposed rate increases provided to the board during Tuesday’s meeting, which would be added to the existing Steamship Authority fares:

Rozum emphasized that the Steamship Authority is not alone in the maritime transportation industry in proposing rate increases to cover surging fuel costs. He presented a slide that showed a handful of other entities, including Hy-Line Cruises, that have raised rates or implemented a fuel surcharge.

Rozum added that the Steamship’s budget for other items in 2027, including preventative maintenance for its vessels and employee training, had also grown.

The popular excursion rates, which island residents rely on for discounted travel to and from the mainland, are also set to rise, but by a smaller proportion than other fares, such as standard automobile fares and passenger fares.

If approved by the Board of Governors later this year, the increases would be just the latest in a series of fare hikes implemented by the Steamship Authority in recent years. The board has approved rate increases in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

The Steamship Authority is providing island residents with an opportunity to further review its 2027 operating budget and proposed rate increases during an informational open house scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, at the Nantucket Hotel, 77 Easton Street, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.