Sale of Bridge Tokens Stopped
By Karen Gould

To cut back on financial losses, the Mackinac Bridge Authority has eliminated the discount rate for rolls of bridge tokens, suspended the sale of the tokens until January 1, and doubled the price of token gift packs. The Authority also raised prices for shuttle rides during the annual bridge walk and placed an expiration date on commuter cards.

The measures go along with a proposal to increase bridge fares by January 1, as the Authority enacts changes to boost revenues. The decisions were made during a Fares, Fees, and Classifications Committee meeting attended by the full board Friday, November 2, in St. Ignace. The sale of tokens is being suspended to prevent people from buying them now at the lower rate and redeeming them after the toll is raised January 1.

Some businesses are buying commuter tokens at the discount rate of $1.50, which is $1 less than the full fair rate of $2.50. The businesses, said Bill Gnodtke, chair of the Authority, then resell the tokens for $2.25 to travelers, which abuses the intent of the commuter rate program.

At the heart of the matter, the Authority agreed, is defining the bridge "commuter" who should benefit from the discount price.

"That just does not meet the definition of a commuter," he told the board. "I think we ought to eliminate the discount rate on commuter token rolls and stop the sale of tokens until the new [rate] adjustment takes place."

The board unanimously agreed.

About 25% of bridge traffic uses the commuter discount, while the Authority estimates the number of true commuters is about 7%.

"We've got people taking unfair advantage of the commuter program," he said. "We've tried to stop it voluntarily."

The MBA staff recommends tokens be made available after January 1, at full fare value, said Bob Sweeney, executive secretary of the Authority. The tokens still could be used as a marketing tool by hotels to encourage customers to stay, without hurting bridge revenue.

"The bridge won't suffer economically," agreed Mr. Gnodtke, who supported the staff 's recommendation to continue the sale of tokens without losing revenue and to support businesses that purchase the metal coins to give away to customers.

The MBA closed token lanes on the bridge October 8 and recommends commuters now use the commuter card. The aging automated coin machines are becoming too expensive to maintain or replace.

The board tried to define "commuter" before deciding to wait until a future meeting, when more information will be available as more commuters make the move from tokens to the card.

Authority members considered placing geographical limitations on commuter card users as part of the definition, they discussed establishing frequency requirements for those who would be able to purchase the card, and they debated whether to increase the initial card deposit to $60 or $100 to discourage use by those who travel to the area a limited number of times each year. At the current bridge fare, a $36 deposit is required for the card.

"I think right now," said Vice-chair Barbara Brown, who agreed the Authority should hold off on setting any card restrictions, "it's a little bit speculative about who would be abusing the system."

The Authority recognized that some commuters who travel the bridge daily would not meet geographical restrictions. Frequency would require additional monitoring.

The Authority discussed options some toll systems use, including offering a frequent user card in addition to a commuter card. They also noted that an increase in the deposit could mean a hardship to some families.

The board did approve placing an expiration date of January 1, 2010, on all cards issued through December 31, 2008. The Authority agreed it wants to support the commuter, while finding a way to curtail abuses similar to those faced with tokens.

"People are going to blackmarket the cards if you don't have an expiration date," said Murray Wikol. "If they are good forever, and we make any other decisions in this meeting, the black market on those cards will spiral."

In other business, the Authority approved an immediate increase on the cost of token gift packs from $5 to $10 to prevent abuses while the fare increase is under consideration and the sale of token rolls has been suspended. The gift packs contain uncirculated tokens.

"We want to keep the commuter program for commuters. I think it is important we have a solid commuter program," said Mr. Wikol. "Also, we need to have tokens for people who want to have this commemorative piece. I think $10 is a great value."

The board also approved increasing the fee to ride the shuttle bus during the annual bridge walk from $2 per person to $5 per person, matching the same price charged by private sector bus services. During this year's Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day, the MBA lost $34,000, as expenses to provide the service exceeded revenue.

At a cost of $84,000, the MBA used 103 buses for the walk this year and charged $2 per person for the trip across the bridge.

Revenue totaled $50,000. For 2008, staff estimates costs will reach $100,000 from rising fuel prices and increased labor costs.

Plans also are underway, said Mr. Sweeney, to improve traffic flow during the bridge walk to avoid traffic congestion in Mackinaw City that had some passengers waiting up to three hours to return to St. Ignace.

Every year except last year, said Mr. Sweeney, people typically wait about 30 minutes in line for a bus.

"We had gridlock in Mackinaw City. There were just too many cars there," said Mr. Sweeney. "Our buses were stuck. We could not get through the M-108 M-23 intersection. We had 40 buses waiting there for 45 minutes. We need to improve the traffic flow for our 2008 bridge walk."

To avoid the bottleneck, the MBA plans to encourage more vehicles to cross the bridge and park at Little Bear East Arena and Community Center in St. Ignace, said Mr. Sweeney. Additional buses would transport walkers to and from the bridge from Little Bear at no charge, he said.

Bridge staff also want to work with the ferry lines to schedule an express boat that would travel between St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.

The Authority's next regularly scheduled meetings will be in Lansing March 13 and 14, 2008.