I sat in line an hour and half on Saturday of the Galveston Bike Rally. There were 20 plus cars who just drove up and went directly on the ferry with permits. Now you can’t tell me those medical permits were used to see a doctor on the Saturday when thousands were in Galveston for the bike rally. There were even two motor bikes with permits. They are cheaters and these permits should be taken away. What makes them more important than the long lines of visiters (sic) standing politely in line? (H Shoffner, 11-27-12)
Posted in 
How does one get a medical pass for the ferry?
Maybe they should have a designated medical pass ferry. Run the others as normal for those who wait in line like normal, rule abiding citizens. And then a separate ferry for people who have obtained a medical pass. Seems like a win-win to me. 🤷🏼♀️
Rule abiding citizens? Because people with medical passes are not? I have a home as well in Crystal Beach, so should i have to wait in line for hours every time I need to come to the Island? Wow! Selfish much?
I think DOT should allocate a Ferry and a Residential Boarding Pass for Residents – Not weekenders etc. or vacation rental etc. – True Residents – we already don’t have mail route – get electric shut off because we are at the end of the electric Line so we suffer enough.
I also think that if people drive a company vehicle as part of their job – what difference what they drive to the doctor – but as a resident – picking up living needs is reason enough to have some type of priority status – I am even willing to pay whatever it takes to be able to get groceries – perscriptions etc
Why does an IceCream truck need a “Medical Pass”? Why does a truck full of contruction workers with a trailer of building supplies need a medical pass? Why do motorcycle clubs need medical passes?
Why are priority passes being sold? Can’t they be auctioned off to the highest bidders? Rich people could use helicopters or their own yahts instead of making regular and poor people have to wait in the heat in lines to get on the ferry.
Ferry line workers should stop letting their own personal feelings change which lines go next. Ferry workers could be nicer but firmer and make people move when the cars in front of them are unloading.
There is a lot of wasted time waiting on stupid/careless drivers who refuse to drive more than 1/2 mile per hour when unloading. These drivers cause lots of wasted waiting time in loading and unloading. The entire ferry is one big expensive waste of time full of corruption and lies.
A toll bridge could be completed in a short while and or those who just want to ride the ferry should pay for their Nastalgic journey on the Ferry. This is a state highway vehicle. Why can’t our Texas Government do something to help? Why aren’t there rules and regulations on the operation of the ferry just as there are on all other Texas roadways? Too much corruption and kickbacks !!!
Robert – We have live in Crystal Beach. The ferry is our only way to access many daily needs such as groceries, medical care, transporting children to and from school, accessing i-45 to many of the UTMB League City, Clear Lake, and Webster facilities. Many of us also work on the island. You can look at it two ways: 1.) I am sure it does frustrate people who do not live here and have to wait in an endless line, especially when it is hot. But the sole reason there are so many people waiting in those never-ending lines is because they are primarily tourists. The ferry is a free service, you can see some dolphins, a shipwreck, and it is a fun experience if you have never been on a ferry before. Plus, you get to come visit the peninsula and try some great food from places like Jose’s, or Stingaree. And call me a bit biased, but our beaches are cleaner than the islands. People like me who live here walk the beaches every morning and pick up the trash that inconsiderate tourists and visitors have left, despite there being a trash can every 100 feet. Now the next way to see this: 2.) For those of us who live there, we pay an unbelievable amount of taxes. We do not get mail service because of how rural the peninsula is and count on our PO boxes. It is rather inconvenient, but I love Crystal Beach so I can live with that. However, why should we miss doctor’s appointments, have food that is no longer frozen, leave kids stranded at school for hours until CPS eventually shows up. Because yes, HS students do go to Ball High on the island. They have events on the island associated with school. Urgent care is on the island. Now to answer your question about the passes for lumber trucks and ice cream trucks and all the people using passes that you feel are not justified: you, and other tourists like you are the same people to complain when the restaurants are closed because staff is stuck in line. Or product is not getting to convenience stores because trucks are stuck in an endless line of tourists. Homes that are being constructed with lumber, etc, have a deadline to meet. People won’t be getting their homes built. Children will be missing out on school events. People who work on the island won’t be able to get to their jobs without spending their entire day waiting in line to come to an island to serve more tourists, which will result in people like you complaining about the service due to short staffing. Urgent care visits (not emergencies)can have serious consequences. That same ice cream truck was probably headed to the peninsula beaches to sell ice cream to….yep you or people like you! The lawn/landscaping truck probably on their way to an AirBnB so the same tourists who complain about the long don’t also complain about the lawn at their AirBnB. So at the end of this novel of which I had no intention writing, but found your perspective towards residents using MPB passes to be selfish and narrow minded, I felt I must enlighten you with the reality of how this all works. You need to understand that tourism and tourism $ for Galveston County relies on people being at their jobs, many of which are in positions or businesses that serve tourists. It is a funny concept, but employers expect their employees, even those who live on the peninsula that work on the island to be on time. Silly, I know. But, we need to eat too. We need to go to the doctor, dentists, etc. Our kids deserve to be picked up and not left stranded at schools or daycares. If it got to the point where residents started leaving the peninsula due to having spent half of every day in line for the ferry because they were denied passes, there would no longer be businesses or restaurants on the peninsula because no one would want to live there or commute there. Residents that pay the very high taxes to live on the peninsula would leave in droves. Very few people would want to build or buy a home there, except for perhaps retired folks This would all cause a huge financial crisis for Port Bolivar that Galveston Island would also feel the effects from. And if there are not residents on the peninsula to clean up after inconsiderate tourists, the beaches there would quickly look like the ones in Galveston. So you see, these passes are critical for residents to have. You don’t have to like it. But as long as they are available to obtain, we will continue to get them. TXDOT understands the short and long term effects of discontinuing these passes which is why it will never happen. Hopefully you can now see that we are not just “fast pass lane line jumpers.” While many of you folks come down here to visit and have a good time, it is just another day for us, so that you all have a place called Port Bolivar to visit.
To people complaining about others having passes, some are for medical reasons but have you ever thought that those of us that have homes in crystal beach or live there shouldn’t have to sit in a 3 hour line to get back and forth to work or to our homes just because it’s tourist season? If you lived there you’d want a pass as well. We have a home and we have animals that cannot sit in the heat for 3 hours. I also have a medical pass for my medical need. If you don’t think it is fair, don’t use the ferry. If you have to use thr ferry, plan accordingly on dates you know will be a long wait. Whining gets you no where. Especially across the ferry faster. Just my two cents.
We have been coming down for over 50yrs. Now I see contractors mowing services and young kid using there passes to go in front of us. Not saying certain ppl don’t need the pass but if a lawn service gets to use the medical pass why can’t I???
There absolutely be a pass for commuters who need to get back and forth to work, especially when their job is time sensitive like lawn services and installers etc.
Why tourist think that residents should have priority moving between places is unbelievable to me.
It is supposed to be for a medical reason, bot because your need your lawn mowed Shelia. Doctors that are giving them out to anyone should be sued for malpractice.
Wrong! If you read the reasons, it is for work as well. I use to work in Texas City and two employees I worked with lived in Boliver. They would never make it to work if they didn’t have a pass. It is specifically in place for anyone that needs to make it to medical appointments on time as well, not just as a medical “emergency” which is first and foremost. My friend has a 2 year old with severe anaphylactic allergies and when she comes for the summer to hang with us, she has to have emergency access. They will literally shut the ferry down for her to have EMS meet her if need be.
No, just because you have to take the ferry to work doesn’t mean your time is more important than everyone else’s. Your a lier and a cheat.
Everyone that gets a medical pass for non-medical reasons has just confessed to making false statements to obtain a invalid state document and should be prosecuted.
I love the ferry. The line is fun and did you see the dolphins?!?!
It’s hard to believe RVs and landscaping crews are going to the doctor and if doctors and medical care are on mainland then why is it necessary to have the medical pass lanes returning back to bolover island? Why not call it what it is ~ a resident pass and sell it yearly like license plate registrations? It shouldn’t be used returning back home on island if it’s a medical pass.
It is sold yearly maybe before you start whining about something you should do a little research and you don’t have to use the service you can drive your ass around
If you are a tax payer a made up medical pass is just another tax. We should all be able to go around so that’s for you Josh you’re stupid.
Have you seen the medical passes? You cannot “make them up”. The form has to be signed by a medial professional and they are called to make sure they are a legit signature. These passes are for people who can’t sit in the heat long, have animals that can’t as well, for medical appointments so they’re not late, for anyone that works and needs to get across at a certain time etc. People need to stop whining!
What makes people think that a doctor can’t be seen on a weekend? I took my late boyfriend to M.D.Anderson Cancer Hospital many times. We would sometimes be there from 8am to 11pm!
If all these people complaining about waiting had been coming to the beach for years they would really gripe. How about miles long wait line way past McDaniels store. Reading all these pages it seems all these people do is COMPLAIN!! Find a new hobby.
after google searching for 45 minutes I am unable to locat the renewal form for my medical pass.
google gives me hou/cronical, txdot, several others but no down loadable form?
google doesn’t do the search like it use to…
I need to look for a new “TRUE” search engine I guess
Sitting in line to bring milk to my preemie baby watching people with medical passes drive right up after we’ve all been sitting for 45 min. They go right on and two were pulling equipment taking up two spots at least.
People are abusing the passes and the people working the ferry don’t give a shit.
I can’t believe how stupid this system is and how corruption is literally leaking into the transportation system here in Galveston.
They won’t build a bridge, they won’t run an extra ferry and they cut the 2nd ferry as early as 10:30 leaving you waiting an hour or more to cross.
As someone who has limited mobility and has to transport breastmilk to a hospitalized infant this system makes my blood boil. This many people daily are doing nothing but abusing a system and no repercussions are being takin.
Coming home from Crystal beach Monday morn.. had to wait 3.5 hours.. that whole set up is ridiculous, if Crystal beach is to depend on tourism something has to happen. I will not go back until I can get one of those stickers or things change.. a 5 hour trip turned into almost 9 But that being said I did enjoy Crystal beach,, people are great and beach is nice just that dam ferry thing.. LOL
It is very frustrating to have to wait in line while cars and trailers loaded with heavy equipment take up the spots after several have waited hour plus. It should b reserved only for those with medical conditions. Many people that have been waiting have problems that don’t have a pass. Adults and children that have to go to the bathroom. This is not healthy for anyone. We own a house in crystal beach too, but if everyone would wait their turn then no one will get stuck waiting any more than the other. If it is an emergency let that person go first but not to get ahead of anyone just because they r on vacation which helps the economy in this area. Build a bridge!
The Houston Chronicle has a story that TxDOT is selling priority passes. Until they get enough passholders at each location, the ones that have purchased passes use the medical priority lane. So, you’re right that all those people aren’t on their way to doctor’s appointments, but, they did pay for the privilege.
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/TxDOT-issuing-ferry-priority-stickers-1863910.php
The medical passes recieved do not cost anything, but you do have to provide documentation concerning your limitations. They last for one year and must be resubmitted with the same criteria.
And I totally agree that people hauling construction materials and such should not be allowed to use this lane, sad but true, people always find ways to circumvent the system for their benefit.
I’ve patiently endured this “medical pass” thing long enough. When I see a longer line in medical line than regular I know there’s a problem. I’ve had enough. I’m going to do whatever it takes to change this. It’s totally ridiculous.
THIS IS “2018” ITS WAY PAST TIME TO BUILD A BRIDGE!
I understand the Ferry is an attraction, but it’s time to give people
The option! And as far as the people with doctor appointments;
You need to get up an hour earlier to get in line like the rest of us!
That is no medical emergency!!!!!! Only an Ambulance with flashing
Lights is a true emergency!!
This system is tremendously flawed. My brother has throat cancer, we set in line one and a half hours Friday the 20th and watched as well over a hundred vehicles including more than one piece of earth moving equipment, contractors vehicles, and others board ahead of us. We were leaving the island as they were. I did not know there are hospital facilities that are on the Bolivar Peninsula that require the presence of these people. I could say a lot more but will not at this time.
Too bad they didn’t legalize gambling in Texas. Tillman Fertitta said he would build the bridge himself.
No that would be way too smart everyone knows the people who run Galveston could never come uP with a simple thing like that to solve a problem.They spend all the money on great ideas like dredging up sand to put on the beach.which cost millions of dollars just to watch mother nature pull that sand back into the ocean.please don’t get me started.lmao.
They have to dredge the sand because if they don’t, the ships wouldn’t be able to pass through without becoming lodged in the sand.
All I know is that I have recently moved to the area and got a job in Galveston. When I arrived at the ferry landing I was fourth in line. Nobody else was there at that time. While waiting the line next to me filled with cars and when the ferry arrived they put all of those people who arrived after me on the boat and made me wait. This caused me to be late for work. My total wait time was over hour and a half. It will be hard to convince me that all those people had medical passes and and were up at 5 am to catch the ferry to make it to the doctor appointment. I guess I could try leaving my house at 4 in the morning Just to try to get to work on time
Gordon-
I own a home on the Bolivar Peninsula. I refuse to get a medical pass even though my neighbors have encouraged me to do so. It is a huge fraud. People who return from Galveston should have to show a note from a Doctor dated that day that shows a medical appointment or condition. If they don’t produce it they should be sent to the back of the line.
The people in charge should come up with a creative solution to this problem. It is not fair.
stephen salvesen
If you are a resident you should have first priority not weekend visitors. Its ridicules that you have to wait in a 2 hour line just to get home. I know tourism is important but just like when you got to a theme park as a visiter you already know your going to be waiting in line. Im a home owner so I pay major taxes to live here, that should intitel me to have priority to be able to get home before all the nukel heads that come down to play for a few days screwing up all the traffic for miles.
You chose to live there. This is a TEXAS highway system.
That means the service is paid for by TEXAS taxes. There is no reason you should have a higher priority on the TEXAS highway ferry system, then on any other Texas highway. There are no special lanes for Arlington residents on the I-20 through Arlington. I know for certain I get stuck in traffic in Arlington behind people who are not Arlington residents.
I too have a medical pass due to a liver transplant. My sisters and I have a beach house but instead of waiting for the ferry, we go in through Winnie. We stop only when we need to. So maybe you need to try that.
Medical pass is complete BS. And the wait is crazy..
Dont use the ferry
If you live on the Bolivar penninsula and work in Galveston, such as I do. There is no other viable option except using the ferry.
To all, this is a serious issue. No one wants to take a medical pass from seriously needy people. The abuse needs to stop. Please join us as we seek ways to address valid concerns of residents and frustrations of others. Please give your suggestions on the FB page, Ethical boarding for Galveston Ferry.
This may come as a shock to you. But thousands of people don’t have Facebook. I happen to be one of those. I have limited time to waste and would rather waste mine doing something else besides social media
Honestly to me, the best solution would be to BUILD A DAMN BRIDGE!!!!
I would support a bridge building project
The medical passes aren’t for people going to and from dr appointments, they are for people that have had surgery that doesn’t allow them to sit for long periods of time, or have slipped discs in their neck or back or cannot hold their bladder for long periods of time. It is a medical necessity for maybe a quarter of the people that own a medical pass, and the rest have friends that are doctors or chiropractors that just give them out like it is nothing. We have a beach house in Crystal Beach and it gets harder and harder to even get there to enjoy because sitting in a Ferry line for 2-3 hours isn’t fun for anyone.
I agree totally with your comments! The medical passes are definitely necessary but also being abused. How does this get resolved to stop the abuse and blatant fraud?
THIS!!!! Never thought about it this way, BUT YES! I’m one of those people. Severe scoliosis, bone spurs and fractures in neck, and BAD hip displacement. I also have a VERY small bladder, and almost can’t make it. This is why the pass helps a lot of us, but people only see it as Dr. Appt passes. I live in crystal beach, but also have a lot of medical emergencies unfortunately, so idk what I’d do without the pass!
It’s complete crap
We all pay road tax, and then you watch people go straight to the front with “medical certs”
Utter bullsh it
Shaun, would you please take a look at the FB page, Ethical boarding for Galveston Ferry. We need your support!
So we are visiting here from Arkansas and went to the crab festival now we wait in line for almost 2 hours we see people driving in that medical Lane on a Sunday one person even cut across into the regular lane after using the medical lane. Where’s a cop when you need one that’s a five hundred dollar fine according to the signs on the side of the road. I understand the ferry is a great service but they got to get their act together this is ridiculous. Update a cop did gig that guy made them turn around go all the way back ha ha
Visiting memorial weekend and asked the local sheriff working the road about all the line cutters (counted more than 50), he said there are a lot if sick people on Bolivar and in his opinion they should all be quarantined. It was obvious he too knew the medical passes were being abused but there was nothing he could do. Really, that many people to see the doctor on a holiday? I asked a couple passing me and they were nothing more than complete assholes. I’m sure there is legit users but these assholes are ruining it for others.
Sir, would you please take a look at the FB page, Ethical boarding for Galveston Ferry. We need your support!
Sir, would you please take a look at the FB page, Ethical boarding for Galveston Ferry.
Did you have fun making up this bs?! LMAO. Craziest nonsense I’ve ever heard! Too many sick ppl? They should all be quarantined? If you’re salty, JUST SAY THAT 😂😂 It’s not just for appts, plz do your research. I’m SO sorry that you’re not disabled, and don’t require one, but most of us “sick ppl needing quarantine” do 🙄😏
Many of those cars and people on motorcycles are also the doctors and nurses who need to get to UTMB to work and take care of those who are sick. The cannot be waiting in line for 2-4 hours and be late for work. Especially on days when there are events in town and the ER becomes full of traumas they need to attend to. There is a bigger picture than just what you may perceive, people.
So the guy in front of me with camping gear, fishing poles, ice chests and crawfish cooker is late for work? I hope you can see that the system is clearly corrupted.
Please take a look at the FB page, Ethical boarding for Galveston Ferry. Thanks!
Your a dingbat your excuse is that these doctors and nurse’s need to get to the hospital so they can pursue there career and help people out. No one forced them to buy a house on Bolliver. Galveston where they work wasn’t good enough. I live in Galveston and work out of La Marque I have to get up early to beat the morning UTMB rush I don’t need a special lane or pass it’s called life. They chose to live there they should be subject to the long lines as well are get up earlier.
Jared…you start off by calling someone a dingbat, then follow it up with five spelling errors.
It’s:
*you’re not your
*nurses not nurse’s
*their not there
*Bolivar not Bolliver
*or not are
Not sure you will be qualified to call anyone a dingbat until you get your 3rd grade education completed.
So I guess the 2 snow cone trucks that zipped they in the medical line were also doctors, nurses or medically needed?? BS!!!
The Gavleston-Bolivar Ferry is funded by the Texas Department of Transportation, not the Bolivar community. It’s a traffic asset no different from a red light or highway, and it’s taxpayers across the state that keep it functioning, millions of which live in Houston, Dallas, etc. These tax paying citizens have the same right to the ferry as the contractors, residents & business owners of the Bolivar Peninsula. However, if those that have a medical pass feel the program is working, then perhaps cities like Houston & Austin can initiate there own. I mean why should a resident of Houston wait in line during a traffic condition in the city they live in? They should be allowed to cut in front of everyone else who’s just passing through or visiting their city! Even those special medical pass people of Bolivar.
ALG
A property owner in Bolivar with common sense.
Right on. I have traffic also in Austin and never ask the visitors to get out of my way, but I will if they have a Bolivar medical pass!
Houston does have several toll roads that people can use to avoid some traffic.Bolivar only has ferry.Or drive several miles just to get to house in Port Bolivar that is only half mile from ferry.
We own one of the beach houses that is used for rental. I realize waiting in line is a hassle, but I agree with the other person, that all of them are not going to see doctors, or have medical conditions that require cutting in line to get in front of everyone else. We want our vacationers to enjoy their time at the beach and want to come back. If they perceive all of the “locals” as being rude line cutters, then that makes them want to stay at Galveston in place of Bolivar. Maybe we need to give each of our renters a “medical pass”, because I’m sure at times they are “sick” and tired of the people cutting in line. I apologize in advance to the 1-10% that really needed the pass.
Kathy, there is a FB page you may be interested in. would you please take a look at the FB page, Ethical boarding for Galveston Ferry. We need your support!
Everyone knows that if you have a medical problem or emergency the ferry personnel will get you to the front of the ferry line WITH or WITHOUTa medical pass. The medical passes are being abused by able body contractors and others simply for convenience at the time and expense of everyone else. The misuse of medical passes need to be stopped.
This evening (12/30/2013) we were in the middle of lane 2. Twenty eight vehicals with medical passes boarded while we waited.
Kim. You are very correct. , would you please take a look at the FB page, Ethical boarding for Galveston Ferry. We need your support!
I’d like to go into Galveston for recreation or to shop and have decided to try out the Island Transit bus service instead of waiting for several ferries. Not sure whether riding the bus will actually speed things up 😉 but at least I can walk onto the very next ferry and let someone else do the driving when I’m on the other side.
Please post if you’ve used this service and let us know how it went for you. Obviously this won’t help those returning to primary homes in Houston. My husband has returned to work in Houston early Monday morning, though, and found he could time things to drive right onto a ferry. Maybe that’ll work for some. We’ve also tried returning late at night. When that doesn’t work, there’s always the Winnie way, which works for us.
Most of the money being generated on Bolivar Peninsula is from expensive vacation homes or rentals. That nice school on Hwy 87 certainly wasn’t built on the backs of the taxes generated from the permanent residents who live on Bolivar. It was partially funded by the enormous property taxes levied on the expensive vacation homes. Many of these homes are made possible by the rental market that visits Bolivar on a regular basis. so maybe some people should think about how those passes are being seen by the people who are spending the big bucks to fund that community. If you permanently live on Bolivar then you made that choice to live in an area without close hospitals or other big city conveniences. I don’t think you are entitled to a ferry pass just because you don’t want to wait in line.
Agreed.
When I had to go to UTMB (emergency…broken arm) the guy at the ferry had me pull into an empty lane and I got on the next ferry without a ‘pass’. Everyone knows that you can get a Dr. to write you a ‘perscription’ to get a pass. I see lots of home builders going to the front with no medical problems.
If you have a medical emergency and jump the line of course they are going to let you through without a pass. They would get sued to high heaven if something would have happened to anyone requesting to load the ferry and they refused and they had an emergency.
I don’t mind waiting in line. But it pisses me off when I sit for over an hour. Then they let someone else get on the boat and I have to wait and be late for work
The way that I understand it is that passes are not only for going to Doctor appointments! Persons having condidtions that sitting in hot/cold vehicles will aggrivate and/or may cause further medical problems, whatever their current condition, also qualify for a pass.
Agree Barbara!
I have more than one medical problem, including Prostate trouble, arthritus, and High Blood Pressure, and it benefits me greatly to be able to drive up and get on quickly!
Where can I get the form to apply for the pass?
Alot of residents of the Bolivar Penninsula and Galveston have business to conduct in Galveston or on the Penninsula. When there are so many “visitors” coming and going on the Ferry, it is hard to get to where they need to go in a timely manner. The passes that some people possess are rarely used except when there are crowds.
I quite often have a chiropractic appointment on Saturdays. So I’m sure others do too.