Bob Ferguson vows to make fixing Washington’s ferry system a ‘top priority’

MUKILTEO, Wash. — Governor-elect Bob Ferguson boarded a state ferry Wednesday and sailed into uncharted waters on Wednesday. The state ferry system is sinking, with a budget deficit of at least $10 billion over the next four years.

Ferguson minced no words.

“It’s a front-burner issue,” Ferguson said. “When you have a crisis you have to act like it’s a crisis.”

The ferries have been fighting for funding since voters approved a ballot initiative that cut car tab fees in 1999, gutting the state’s transportation budget. Since then, the struggle to stay afloat has been very real.

Washington’s is the biggest ferry system in America. At any given time only about 15 ferries are operating across Puget Sound. To be fully functional Washington needs 11 more to serve an estimated 19 million annual riders.

But that won’t happen for years. Half of the fleet is more than 30 years old. Some boats are more than 50 years old. That means ferries increasingly break down, as does the workforce.

A wave of retirements brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic swept across Washington State Ferries, meaning a single sick call can snarl the entire system.

In 2023 there were 4,000 route cancellations.

Ferguson said problems within the state ferry system are impacting Washingtonians dramatically.

“We’re not able to provide the service they need and deserve,” Ferguson said.

In his first major public appearance since winning the governor’s office, Ferguson met with ferry workers and passengers Wednesday to hear their problems and concerns. They are folks like Ed Fickbohn of Whidbey Island who said his one-time love affair with the ferries has gone sour.

“It used to be romantic,” Fickbohn said. “Right now, we just want some consistency. When you have to get to a doctor appointment and they’re not working it’s pretty challenging.”

Ferguson spoke of school-aged children who had been stranded at ferry docks when boats went out of service. 

Ferguson pledged to make communication between the Department of Transportation and his office more direct. He plans to seek more federal funding for ferries and to speed up their construction.

Right now, a new boat is not due on Puget Sound until late 2028, at the earliest.

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