It is becoming apparent that not only is Washington State Ferries refusing to truly listen to the public, officials there really don’t care about those who rely on their service one way or the other. How else can one explain the recent barrage of ill-conceived ideas and suggestions that simply put more burden on its ridership?

The latest, in what has become a string of decisions more annoying than folks who set their car alarms while crossing the Puget Sound, comes in the form of a 7.5 percent fare increase. Initially, the hike was set to spike at 5 percent but public outcry over a decidedly unfair frequent user system has led those at WSF to simply shift the expenses elsewhere.

While 2.5 percent might not seem like much and those who were going to be swatted by the frequent user switch won’t have to endure having the time period for using books of 10 round-trip tickets slashed, it seems WSF is basically playing the shell game with rider fare hikes. Their hands move quickly but each time the shell is lifted, it seems a new, poorly thought out plan is revealed.

Riders must keep in mind also that the 7.5 percent hike is considered by the state agency as merely the beginning. If the legislature doesn’t offset higher fuel costs financially, an additional 15-20 percent increase could follow. Sounds like WSF has everyone over the barrel at once here. The public, with good reason, spoke out against the booklet change, and in response, the agency is pretty much threatening that the previous 5 percent increase might could quadruple. That’s service?

Not really. But it seems as if WSF is more concerned with ensuring its sleight of hand is deftly executed than whether those who rely on its service go broke getting across Puget Sound.

Could it be that the commuter plan was designed to take the public heat in the first place and that the incremental fare hike was the “pea” WSF had in mind all along? Now that’s a shell of a concept.