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Mackinac Bridge resumes escorted crossings for vehicles, bikes, snowmobiles -- with higher fees
ST. IGNACE, MI - The Mackinac Bridge’s transportation assistance programs are returning, with increased fees for the travelers who use them.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority, or MBA, has voted to reinstate on Nov. 1 its driver assistance program, as well as its pedestrian, bicyclist, and snowmobile transportation programs. The four programs had been suspended since March 2020 as a health safety precaution due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The return of those programs will include increased service fees, as well as revised liability waivers, the MBA said in a release.
“Suspending these popular programs was a difficult decision, but one that was necessary based on what we knew then about this ongoing pandemic,” Authority Chairman Patrick Gleason said in a statement. “As our committee and staff have examined these programs, it became clear that reinstatement should come with changes to address staff concerns and costs of the services provided, as the programs have been provided at a net loss for the Authority.”
The driver assistance program, in which an MBA employee drives a customer’s vehicle or motorcycle across the bridge, has been used by drivers since the 1980s to help allay bridge-crossing anxiety, take a driving break, or have the opportunity to snap photos while crossing.
Previously offered at no charge, the MBA will now charge $10 per trip to defray the cost of the service, with an increase to $15 per trip starting Jan. 1, 2025.
https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/10/mackinac-bridge-resumes-escorted-crossings-for-vehicles-bikes-snowmobiles-with-higher-fees.html
The Mackinac Bridge Authority, or MBA, has voted to reinstate on Nov. 1 its driver assistance program, as well as its pedestrian, bicyclist, and snowmobile transportation programs. The four programs had been suspended since March 2020 as a health safety precaution due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The return of those programs will include increased service fees, as well as revised liability waivers, the MBA said in a release.
“Suspending these popular programs was a difficult decision, but one that was necessary based on what we knew then about this ongoing pandemic,” Authority Chairman Patrick Gleason said in a statement. “As our committee and staff have examined these programs, it became clear that reinstatement should come with changes to address staff concerns and costs of the services provided, as the programs have been provided at a net loss for the Authority.”
The driver assistance program, in which an MBA employee drives a customer’s vehicle or motorcycle across the bridge, has been used by drivers since the 1980s to help allay bridge-crossing anxiety, take a driving break, or have the opportunity to snap photos while crossing.
Previously offered at no charge, the MBA will now charge $10 per trip to defray the cost of the service, with an increase to $15 per trip starting Jan. 1, 2025.
https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/10/mackinac-bridge-resumes-escorted-crossings-for-vehicles-bikes-snowmobiles-with-higher-fees.html
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