Commuters will have 24 hours to get across the Mackinac Bridge and back to receive discounted fare under two proposals to be voted on July 10 by the Mackinac Bridge Authority. Public comments will be heard the day before, Thursday, July 9, at 11:45 a.m. at Little Bear East Conference Center in St. Ignace.

One proposal would offer a discounted rate only on return trips made within 24 hours, while the other would be based on a minimum number of trips per year in addition to the 24-hour rule. Both plans would charge a commuter $1.80 per trip. Regular fare is currently $3, but is scheduled to be increased to $3.50 in 2010.

The plans allow commuters to keep their current commuter cards and quick cards.

The wording of the two proposals is as follows:

Proposal one: Customers can use their cards to cross the bridge at the regular rate of $3.50 for passenger vehicles as of January 1, 2010. If a return trip takes place within 24 hours, the return trip will only cost 10¢. The total cost for the commute would be $3.60, or a discounted rate of $1.80 per trip.

Proposal two: Customers can use their card to cross the bridge at the regular rate of $3.50 for passenger vehicles as of January 1, 2010, and must cross a minimum of 12 times in a calendar year, and take a return trip within 24 hours to get the discount. The total cost for the commute would be $3.60, or a discounted rate of $1.80 per trip.

The Authority's Fares, Fees, and Classifications Committee will host the hearing. The committee will also accept written comments through e-mail and mail until 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 8. E-mail comments can be sent to parsonsb@michigan.gov, and mailed letters to Mackinac Bridge Authority, North 415 I-75, St. Ignace, MI 49781.

Tightening its commuter policy, the Authority says, is necessary to curtail abuses of the discount, the same reason the Authority previously stopped using its commuter tokens. For the past year, the Authority has sought to define who would qualify for the commuter discount, and has considered geography and frequency of use among its criteria.

There is currently no limit on how long a commuter has to recross the bridge.

In March 2008, toll rates were increased from $2.50 for a regular passenger car to $3, and from $1.50 to $1.60 for a commuter passenger car. In a planned incremental hike of 10¢ per year, the commuter rate is now $1.70.

The minimum deposit on commuter cards was also increased last August, from $40 to $80, and a onetime fee to process the account rose from $5 to $10. In its most recent decision about the commuter program, the $80 minimum deposit on the cards was rolled back to $50 by the Authority in December 2008.

The Authority plans to increase tolls 50¢ every two years until 2014, when passenger tolls will reach $4.50. Commuter tolls climb 10¢ every year to $2.20.