The state Public Utilities Commission is holding a weeklong hearing starting next Monday on Young Brothers’ request to raise its rates.
The shipping company asked the commission to approve a 27% rate increase last year. The company claims it has not been profitable since October 2023.
The commission approved a temporary rate increase of 18% in July after assessing that the price hike would generate the minimum amount of revenue needed for Young Brothers to keep providing interisland shipping services.
That rate hike will be in place until the end of December.
Young Brothers last approached the commission to raise its rates in 2020, when the commission approved a 46% increase. At the time, the company said it needed more revenue to contend with the heightened costs of pandemic operations.
The commission will not be taking testimony during next week’s testimony, but you can submit written comments online or by email. The hearing will be livestreamed on the commission’s YouTube channel starting at 9 a.m.
