North Carolina's ferry service will be a little less frequent around Christmas time in a move officials hope will save nearly $50,000.
The state Department of Transportation says all ferries except one will run abbreviated schedules from Christmas Eve through Dec. 27.
The only route that will be unchanged is the Bayview-Aurora run, which will keep its regular schedule to accommodate workers at a nearby phosphate plant.
Officials say the decision to cut back on schedules was based on traffic data from previous years.
The department expects the reduced runs will save nearly $19,000 in fuel costs and over $31,000 in labor.
The exact schedules for the holiday period can be found online at www.ncdot.org .
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP0--12-11-11 1721WST
