By Alabama Public Radio
Mobile, AL – The city of Mobile says a ferry service connecting the Port City to Fairhope would not be financially practical...but city officials aren't ruling it out. A new report shows the service would create a one million dollar loss each year. That's if 300 commuters took the service round trip everyday...and almost 53 thousand passengers used the ferry one way every year. Fares in the report were estimated between four dollars and 50 cents to six dollars each way. The study says the projected losses might be higher for Mobile than for cities that have a greater population along with a greater demand for public transportation. Despite the report's findings, Mayor Mike Dow says he still supports the idea of a Mobile Bay ferry service because he says cruise ship passengers using ferries would help offset costs. Carnival Cruise Lines is set to begin cruises from Mobile in October. The city has already secured millions of federal dollars to purchase passenger ferries and build a terminal.