WSF Weekly Report | Gov. Ferguson cabinet meeting; spring schedule; HS tour

||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

A message from Steve

Last week, I traveled to Olympia to attend Governor Ferguson’s first cabinet meeting. It was a great chance to connect with the governor and his team. I witnessed the genuine care they have for our state, and their commitment to the success of Washington State Ferries. Attending the governor’s cabinet meetings, I feel strongly that our recovery will remain a key focus of the new administration.

In 2024, we had the fewest canceled sailings since 2020, and a major reduction in crew-related cancellations. Additionally, our ridership increased by 500,000 passengers. While these milestones are encouraging, we know challenges remain. We will continue to focus on hiring, training and retention. We’re working to restore four ferry routes to full service. And the delivery of new vessels is a top priority. These goals require our sustained effort and focus.

We’ve made notable progress in 2024 but continue to focus on tirelessly driving towards recovery.

 The dedicated team at WSF is working tirelessly to drive this recovery forward. We want to continue to serve our communities effectively. I am excited to partner with Governor Ferguson and his team, embrace fresh perspectives, and explore ideas to help us navigate the path ahead. I am confident we will build a stronger, more resilient future for Washington State Ferries and the people who depend on us.

Bainbridge High School Students tour Tacoma

Last week a group of 15 students from Bainbridge Island High School’s Career & Technical Education program toured Tacoma on a roundtrip between Bainbridge and Seattle to learn about careers we offer. The students toured the pilothouse and engine room, dressed in full firefighting gear, and had a hands-on opportunity to operate the firehose from the car deck. Our staff spoke to the students about day-to-day responsibilities of different roles in the fleet and how to get a job with WSF. Sharing the dynamic career paths we offer is an important part of inspiring the next generation of mariners.

Students operate a firehose as a part of a hands-on demonstration with WSF Staff.

Vehicle reservations for spring season available 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29

We’re six days away from the opening of spring season (March 23 to June 14) vehicle reservations for our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes. This two-month season release is at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29. Like summer and fall, we will be using a virtual waiting room to avoid website overload and ensure fair access during this busy time. For our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route, we’ll open 30% of vehicle reservations space on Jan 29. Another 30% will be available two weeks before each specific sailing and another 30% two days before. The two-week and two-day release times are at 7 a.m. For our Port Townsend/Coupeville route, we’ll open 80% of vehicle reservations space on Jan. 29. For both routes, all remaining vehicle space is kept open for emergency and stand-by vehicles.

All vehicle reservation space for our Port Townsend/Coupeville route (80% for each sailing) will be available after next week’s two-month release. Walk and roll on options are always available. 

Sailing stats for week of Jan. 13-19

For the week of Jan. 13-19, we completed 99% of our 2,728 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 30 cancellations, 10 were for tidal currents, eight due to vessels being out of service, six were due to weather, and four for a schedule reset (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers) and two were due to crewing.

Customer kudos

“Seattle to Bremerton. Help securing a spot by an elevator for my 86 yr. old mother. Very kind and helpful crew from the ticket booth to the spot on the ferry. This makes all the difference in traveling with a loved one with handicap status. Thank you crew!”

-Seattle/Bremerton route customer