You've read the headlines from last month.  Vallejo has filed for bankruptcy.  That's sign #1 that the city council is incompetent.  Sign #2 is the ridiculous fare hike they've imposed on ferry riders.  They have upped the monthly pass from $270/month to a whopping $320/month.  And on July 1, if the price of fuel is $4 per gallon or higher, they will add another $20 to that price.  Seeing as how the national average for fuel is currently $4 per gallon, the price is almost certain to go up.

I have been riding the Vallejo Baylink Ferry for over 4.5 years.  It is one of the more relaxing ways to commute.  The ride is (usually) smooth, the commute length is consistent (no traffic jams on the bay), and I can buy beer (or wine or Scotch for those bad days) and snacks on the boat.  Given the price increases, I had to re-evaluate my options.

Being a geek, I had to break down all my commute options in Excel to see which was most cost effective.  Most of the results seemed obvious, but my final commute choice was unexpected.  Here's how it broke down in terms of annual costs, most expensive to least with door-to-door round trip times in parentheses...

1. Ferry - $5700 (200 minutes)
   
2. Drive/BART - $5300 (180 minutes)
3. Bus/BART - $4600 (200 minutes)
   
4. Carpooling - $3300 (140 minutes)
   
5. Casual Carpool - $1520 (180 minutes)
   

Mind you, I've tried all these combinations before making my final decision.  Staying on the ferry was clearly out.  Either BART option was clearly cheaper, but there are a lot of crazies on the Richmond BART line, and even more on the bus to Vallejo.  Due to safety concerns, BART was out.  Ditto for Casual Carpool (Not only is Vallejo run by idiots, there seems to be a pretty good number of whackos living there, too.  Note: I have good friends who live in Vallejo, and they *seem* sane).

Sadly, carpooling was my best option.  Although I don't get to drink on my commute anymore, it is cheaper, safer, and a lot faster than all the other options. 

$3300 seem low to you considering most garages in the financial district charge $30/day in parking?  Well, I found a $8/day lot 4.5 blocks from my office.  And even at $30/day parking, it's still cheaper than the ferry!

So, armed with a simple spreadsheet, I was able to quickly determine that EVERY commute option was cheaper than the ferry and almost all were faster.  Who in their right minds would choose a fare hike without analyzing other ways of dealing with the rising fuel costs?  Advertising the ferry more to increase ridership?  More ads in the boat?  Ads outside the boat?  Negotiated fuel costs?  Add a mast and sail to the ferry???

I can only conclude... Vallejo must be run by idiots.