Mackinac Bridge Hikes Commuter Card Deposit
By Karen Gould

The minimum deposit required to open a commuter account at the Mackinac Bridge was increased two-fold, from $40 to $80, Saturday, July 12, and the one-time fee to process the account rose from $5 to $10. Commuter card holders will also now need to deposit at least $80 when they recharge their cards.

The jumps are an attempt by the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) to discourage infrequent travelers from paying commuter rates. Regular bridge fare for a car is $3, but commuters can cross for $1.60 when using the commuter debit cards.

The increases were approved by the MBA Friday, July 11, and went into effect the following day. The MBA says they are needed to retain reasonable commuter discounts for those who cross the bridge often and to cover administrative costs of setting up the card.

The commuter rate, which is a 47% discount, was established to give frequent travelers a financial break, said MBA Executive Secretary Bob Sweeney. But infrequent users are tapping into the discount by buying the debit cards, and that, according to the MBA, is impacting bridge revenue.

The authority, said Mr. Sweeney, determined it had to either raise the commuter toll or reduce the number of people using the commuter discount cards.

The MBA hopes the increase in deposit will discourage infrequent travelers from taking advantage of the lower rate.

Early statistics indicate the plan may be working.

The authority has issued about 11,000 commuter cards. Travelers purchased 41 new commuter accounts Friday, July 11, the day before the increase. New accounts on Saturday dropped to eight, and 15 new commuter accounts were opened Sunday.

"People who aren't frequent users going across the bridge now are thinking twice about purchasing a commuter card," Mr. Sweeney deduces.

Residents in 24 states and Puerto Rico and Canada now have commuter accounts, while the majority of card holders, 10,219, are from all 83 counties in Michigan. Of those, the most card holders are from the five counties near the bridge, including Mackinac with 2,846 cards, Chippewa with 1,565 cards, and Luce with 166 cards in the Upper Peninsula, and Cheboygan with 879 cards and Emmet with 576 cards in northern lower Michigan.

The authority, said Mr. Sweeney, will continue to evaluate commuter card statistics and is scheduled to discuss the definition of a commuter at its December meeting.