WSF Weekly Report | Focus on recruitment, hiring, training to restore service, and a new website coming

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

Building back our staffing and service

To provide more predictable travel, we made the difficult decision last month to temporarily move to reduced service schedules on most routes. Understanding the importance of our sailings to thousands of Washingtonians who ride for work, medical appointments, to care for loved ones or who rely on goods and services arriving on our boats, the downsizings were only done when it became clear we didn’t have the crewing necessary to provide consistent service on our fall schedule. My colleagues and I are all focused on the recruitment, hiring and training necessary to restore service.

Talking with crewmembers aboard Spokane.

Like other transportation systems around the world, we are facing a shortage of workers with specific challenges in the maritime industry for agencies like ours. We are actively promoting openings for vessel deck crews, engine room employees and terminal attendants. We’re also working with WSDOT to hire additional recruiters focused specifically on national maritime academies and on outreach to underserved communities, as well as the with the governor and his staff on short-, medium- and long-term plans addressing our staffing challenges.

We are also focused on how and when we can begin restoring service. While our alternate service schedules are designed to provide better predictability, we know and understand that they’re also causing real obstacles. We’re analyzing data – the impact on island communities with no other roads, ridership and of course our crewing – so we can incrementally add service when we’re certain we can do so consistently. We will let you know when those plans are finalized.

Over the last 10 months as head of ferries, I have seen firsthand the commitment my coworkers put into their work. We hear stories from our riders about navigating our current schedule and empathize with their frustration. We care and will continue working to build back our staffing.

Daylight saving time and our sailing schedule

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7. The full sailing day of Saturday, Nov. 6, will start and end on Pacific Daylight Time. Terminals and vessels will turn their clocks back one hour after the end of the full Saturday sailing schedule. The sailing day starting on Sunday, Nov. 7, will be under Pacific Standard Time.

New, redesigned website coming soon

Finding information on our website is about to get a lot easier! On Sunday, Nov. 7, we’ll unveil our new, redesigned WSDOT website. We’re excited to hear what you think, and you can learn more about what to expect on our blog. Heads up! Some of our webpages may be down intermittently on Sunday while we transition to the new site.