New WSF Assistant Secretary transitions into new position

||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

Ahoy, Washington State Ferries!

Hello everyone, I’m Patty Rubstello, the new WSDOT Assistant Secretary of Washington State Ferries! I’m excited to be in this role and I’ve already learned so much from former head Amy Scarton and several of my new colleagues at WSF. Thank you to all who have helped in this leadership transition. I look forward to learning more about the nation’s largest ferry system every day, and how we can serve our customers, communities and employees better.

Former WSDOT Assistant Secretary of Ferries Amy Scarton
introduced me to employees virtually last week during an all-staff webinar.

In the few weeks I’ve been on the job, I’ve grasped the seriousness of our many operational challenges. One of our most pressing issues is our aging fleet and terminals. Maintenance and preservation are vital for our long-term service needs. I’m encouraged that the governor’s budget plan puts a high priority on improving the safety and longevity of our infrastructure, along with strong support for ferry system electrification. I’m eager to share my 30 years of WSDOT experience with the Ferries Division and bring new perspectives not just in operations, but in customer service as well. Looking forward to working with everyone!

During last week’s all-staff webinar, I shared my background,
which includes 30 years at WSDOT in design, construction, planning, traffic operations and leadership.

Please join us for virtual community meetings, Feb. 9 and 10

And I’ll be introducing myself to the public next month during two virtual community meetings focused on our continued response to COVID-19, service, progress made on key projects in 2020 and answering questions from participants. If you would like to participate in the meetings at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, or 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, visit our community participation webpage for registration information.

Service plans for spring and summer

As the weather warms up and the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more readily available, we expect our ridership to rebound in the coming months. Based on our crewing and vessel availability, we plan to add sailings on three routes starting May 9:

• Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: Restore three-boat service (third vessel will operate eight hours on weekends like previous spring and fall schedules, final late-night sailings remain suspended)
• Anacortes/San Juan Islands: Start daily four-boat domestic service (timetables like previous summer schedules without fifth vessel that mainly served Sidney, British Columbia)
• Port Townsend/Coupeville: Start two-boat service (without final Friday and Saturday roundtrip sailings)

With the U.S.-Canada border closed and limited vessel availability,
the earliest we plan to resume Sidney, British Columbia service is Sept. 26.

We will operate our current sailing schedules through May 8 with fewer sailings than previous years on several routes. As a reminder, please limit ferry travel to essential purposes only. Vehicle reservations for March 28 through May 8 will be released at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2. The changes outlined above will run May 9 through Sept. 25, with reservations for that period being released on March 9.

Don’t forget to sign up for our email alerts, check terminal conditions and read our COVID-19 travel updates if you need to ride a ferry!