Salem committee adopts daily tour-bus permit with October surge pricing and tougher idling fine

The Salem City Committee on Ordinances and Legal Affairs voted May 14 to establish a daily tour-bus parking permit and to send an amended ordinance and order to the full council.

City transportation Director David Kacharski presented the department’s recommendation and told the committee it “would be a $50 daily permit with $300 fines,” adding that the city would roll out warnings and coordinate signage and enforcement with Destination Salem, parking enforcement and the police. Kacharski said staff examined peer programs in Cape May, Savannah and Kennebunkport and consulted local attractions and several tour operators while developing the proposal.

Committee members pressed staff on exclusions, data and seasonality. Councilor Laapa asked for confirmation that “public school buses and MBTA buses are excluded” from the fee; Kacharski confirmed that those vehicles were intended to be exempt under the draft definitions. Committee members also pressed for data about current utilization; Kacharski said the city has not closely monitored use of existing designated spaces but estimated about 63 designated bus spaces at peak, with roughly 25 downtown, and a rough 2025 meter-equivalent estimate of about $44,000.

Several councilors proposed seasonal surge pricing for Salem’s busy fall season. Councilor King pointed to nearby destinations that charge higher peak rates and recommended a higher October fee; Kacharski said the Passport permit platform can support calendar-based tiered pricing and staff could implement seasonal rates if the council directs.

Public commenters from the Salem Witch Museum urged the city to pair any fee with safe off‑downtown parking and clear communications. Tina Jordan, executive director of the Salem Witch Museum, said the city should ensure drivers have safe places to wait and that signage and maps are accurate; Mary Ward, director of sales for the museum, said operators are generally willing to pay when safe and comfortable staging areas exist.

After debate, the committee amended the proposal to keep a $50 daily permit for most of the year and impose a higher October rate under the ordinance language considered; the committee also amended the idling/engine-running penalty, replacing a lower restricted-area fine with a $150 fine for a standing bus with engine running while preserving a $300 maximum fine for parked buses. The record shows the fee amendment passed with three hands in favor and one opposed; the fine amendment passed as amended and the measures were forwarded to the full council for further action.

Kacharski told the committee staff would prepare permit zones, signage (an estimated 33 signs), and a contact database for operators, and that signs could be fabricated and installed as soon as late June or early July depending on production and installation schedules. He also said the city expects to begin with warnings during rollout and to use Passport data to monitor utilization and adjust pricing.

The committee also asked police to research whether call-for-service data can be extracted to show trends in bus-related complaints; Lieutenant Tucker offered to review dispatch logs and return with more information. The committee adopted the amended order and ordinance for the next council steps and adjourned.

What happens next: the ordinance and order, as amended by the committee, will go to the full Salem City Council for further consideration and possible final adoption; staff said they would continue outreach to tour operators and Destination Salem ahead of implementation.