Ferry ridership highest in a dozen years ahead of holiday
— from Washington State Ferries —
More people have jumped aboard Washington State Ferries this summer than any other in the past 12 years.
So far, this summer, an additional 150,000 passengers, enough to fill Safeco Field nearly three times over, took a ferry between mid-June and late August compared to summer 2014. The 2.4 percent average system wide increase is expected to spike this Labor Day weekend with an estimated 94,000 travelers per day squeezing in some last minute summertime fun.
The season’s spectacular weather and improved economy are likely factors as to why so many people enjoyed getting out on the water this year.
“Ferries are a special part of life here in the Northwest and we encourage you to enjoy part of the holiday weekend aboard one of your vessels,” said Lynne Griffith, assistant secretary for WSF. “We also have advice to help minimize your wait time on what will be a busy last blast of summer travel.”
Know before you go
- Check the terminal conditions website
- Signup for ferry travel alerts
- Keep an an eye on Twitter for automatic updates on travel conditions.
- The summer sailing schedule and best times to travel can be found on the Ferries website.
- Find out about changes to Colman Dock due to waterfront construction.
- WSF offers vehicle reservations to the San Juan Islands, Sidney B.C. and Port Townsend/Coupeville.
Peak travel times on most routes are expected to occur westbound Thursday, Sept. 3, through Friday, Sept. 4, and eastbound Monday, Sept. 7, as people return from their weekend getaways.
Ridership highlights
- We’ve carried 6.4 million people so far this summer. That’s an average of 84,000 passengers per day spread across all routes.
- Ridership this summer is up 2.4 percent from last summer.
- Year to date numbers are up even more—3.5 percent from 2014.
- Our busiest route is Seattle/Bainbridge Island. More than 1.6 million passengers traveled this route between mid-June and the end of August.
- Edmonds/Kingston and Mukilteo/Clinton both had more than 1 million passengers travel this summer.
WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States. We safely move people and goods through the most majestic scenery in the world.
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