WSF Weekly Report | Federal funding discussions underway, our spring has been postponed

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

OT Secretary Roger Millar joins Sen. Murray to discuss federal funding for ferries

WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar talks to Sen. Patty Murray about our pandemic response, how we’re using American Rescue Plan funding and our ferry electrification initiatives.

Washington State Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar joined Sen. Patty Murray and local marine transportation leaders in a virtual press event late last week to discuss how federal funding has helped keep our ferries afloat during the pandemic. Thanks to Sen. Murray, roughly $168 million in the American Rescue Plan was set aside for Washington State Ferries. She also secured federal funding in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to electrify and modernize ferry systems, and for port and waterway infrastructure improvements.

Federal funding will also supplement state funding as we build back from a historic crewing shortage. We’re working hard to hire and train new employees so we can restore service to pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible. Until then, most routes remain on our alternate service schedules, with a second boat added on our Seattle/Bainbridge, Edmonds/Kingston and Mukilteo/Clinton runs when crewing allows. I encourage riders to sign up for our rider alerts to receive updates on what schedule we’re operating on each route each day.

Start of Anacortes/San Juan Islands spring season postponed to Sunday, April 10

While most routes remain on our alternate service schedules, we have been consistently operating our normal winter service on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands run. To ensure increased reliability as we work to increase that route to spring service levels while continuing to face crewing challenges, we’re pushing back the start of the run’s spring season from March 27 to April 10. Vehicle reservations for those additional two weeks for both our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes will be released at 7 a.m. March 10. That’s also when reservations for travel on April 10 to June 18 for both runs will be made available.

New ORCA card features coming in spring

An early heads up if you use an ORCA card to pay for your fare on our ferries… ORCA is getting upgraded! That means a better payment experience and more choices for managing your account. Stay connected with us or visit myorca.com to learn more about improvements coming in spring, including a new website and mobile app, real-time fare loading and more retail locations.

There will be a new ORCA card design after launch, but you have the flexibility to keep using the card you have if you want to.

“Just a shout out today to the guy [Terminal Attendant Mark Fitzpatrick] working the middle booth at the Edmonds booth this morning. He was so helpful and friendly, and taught me a few things I wasn’t aware of (even as a fairly frequent ferry traveler) to make my trips more efficient. I watched him being so patient with the elderly couple in front of me too. A great start to my day!!!”   –-Edmonds/Kingston customer