Last week, we released a study showing King County's take over of the West Seattle Ferry from Argosy Cruises (a private ferry operator based in Seattle) will cost three times more over the next decade.
In this Seattle Times article, King County officials disputed our analysis and claimed our estimate showing the cost differences was too high.
Here is a table showing the full budget for the West Seattle Ferry in 2009 (Argosy) and 2010 (King County). Judge for yourself....(see footnote #2 for source). King County's labor costs alone are higher than the entire annual operating budget under the public/private model.
Note: Argosy only operated the route for seven months. King County will operate the route for nine months this year and a full twelve months next year. To make a fair comparison, you must annualize the costs. Argosy's cost is about $115,000 per month. King County's cost is about $339,000 per month.