The V.I. Port Authority responded to a public outcry over a proposed fee for transporting noncommercial vehicles by barge between St. John and St. Thomas, slashing it by more than half Wednesday.
Port Authority board members voted unanimously to charge $1 each way for car barge service, as opposed to the original $2.50 proposed in August. The barge companies themselves will collect the fee, rather than a Port Authority cashier.
But the fee cut will make little difference to many car barge users: Last week, Republic Barge Service, Inc. and Tuglife barge companies announced they would join forces beginning in November and offer expanded service, raising their roundtrip fares by $5. Click here for related story.
Revenues from the barge fees will help fund long-delayed Port Authority projects, including the Enighed Pond marine terminal.
