Are ferries a cost-effective form of transit?
Spence: I personally think the boats have been economically competitive with other Boston-area forms of transportation. My memory is that Massachusetts Bay Lines restarted commuter boat service to the South Shore in 1963. We expected to lose money on this service, but the Hull selectmen who controlled the access to the Nantasket Beach service, which was profitable, put a contract out for bid every five years. They said to the contractor, if you provide commuter boat service, we would look favorably on your providing service to Nantasket Beach. That’s how we got underway. When Hingham ferries started in 1975, there was some help from Massport in rebuilding the pier, and organizing the agreement at the beginning. There were some state bond funds that underwrote early subsidies, but the service never really grew until the state Executive Office of Transportation and Construction (EOTC) decided to offer alternative transit service for commuters when the Southeast Expressway was rebuilt in
