Editor,
Over the past few years, we have seen a marked increase in the price of travel between St. Thomas and St John. We now pay $5 to and from Red Hook to St. John, plus a $2 fee for each bag carried. If you are a family of five, this can add up to quite a lot.
Now the V.I. Port Authority is planning to put into effect an additional 50 cents per person fee on top of what we now pay. This increase is being put on the backs of commuting working people who live in St. Thomas, and tourists who already complain about the high cost of getting here. Because the Port Authority is a semi-autonomous agency, we have no say in what they do. They will be charging rent to vendors in the new facility, plus rent from the ferry companies, and the $3 barge fees. So how about giving the already over-burdened public a break. If not, you know that the 50 cent fee will soon be $1 or maybe more at some time in the future.
Albert E. Willis