The proposed North Carolina Senate budget released last week would change the state’s ferry priority system, affecting hundreds of Ocracoke residents and vendors who have free priority passes already.

According to Hyde County Manager Bill Rich, N.C. District 8 Senator Bill Rabon proposed the priority pass legislation for the Senate budget. The legislation was not included in the House budget before it came to the Senate.

If passed, the legislation would allow anyone in the N.C. ferry system to purchase priority passes for $150, making it harder on the 650 resident priority pass holders, as well as the 280 vendors, all of which have free passes currently, Rich said. The priority pass fees are in addition to the cost of the ferry tolls. The new legislation would also mean the current free pass holders would have to purchase the priority passes.

According to Jed Dixon, deputy director of the NC Ferry Division, the bill would allow priority boarding to pass holders on all routes in the system.

Currently, the passes allow Ocracoke residents boarding priority when traveling from Ocracoke to Cape Hatteras and vice-versa but no other routes, Rich said. The priority passes were originally established to allow Ocracoke residents a quicker way to get to and from their homes for buying groceries, attending doctor appointments and other business, but the new legislation would mean many more cars in the priority line than the regular line to board ferries, something that makes no sense, Rich said.

Rich said the legislation would increase the number of priority pass holders into the thousands.

“Priority makes no sense whatsoever,” Rich said. “It’s been proposed by someone who doesn’t know the system. No one has asked anyone from Hyde County (for input). As we’ve said all along, that’s our only highway, and we have to have one means to get off and on it as quick as possible and without charge.”

Rich said employees he has spoken with in the ferry system have said it would cost more money to implement the bill than the amount of revenue the sale of the passes would generate.

“Right now, they’re not set up at all — personnel-wise or computer system-wise — to do this,” Rich said.

According to Rich, the most effective way to stop the bill from happening is by contacting N.C. Rep. Paul Tine or N.C. Senator Bill Cook, both of whom are on the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee. Residents can also contact Rep. John Torbett, who serves as House co-chair of the committee.

“They are totally against this and are good friends of Hyde County,” Rich said. “That’s the most important thing, is that we have those three people fighting on our behalf. They can keep this from happening.”