WSF Weekly Report | Record breaking summer ridership; peak season surcharge ends

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

A message from Steve

We welcomed a record number of people on board this summer. More than seven million riders traveled with us from June 14 through this past Saturday. That’s our highest summer ridership since 2019, and nearly 130,000 more riders than last summer. Of our 16 days with 90,000 or more riders since the pandemic, half happened this year. None of this would be possible without my colleagues. I know how dedicated they are to getting our customers to their destinations safely, and I’m grateful for the work they do every day. I also thank our riders for their patience, especially those who rely on our ferries year-round. We know the higher demand in summer – especially this year with the FIFA World Cup – can also lead to more delays and disruptions. Even with the extra traffic, I’m encouraged to see our summer on-time performance continue to improve. This measures the percentage of sailings that leave within 10 minutes of their scheduled departure time. It went from 71.6% systemwide in summer 2024 to 76.7% in 2025 and 79.8% this summer.

Systemwide ridership for our summer season (June 14 to Sept. 19) totaled more than 7 million, up from roughly 6.9 million in 2025 (June 15 to Sept. 20).

We also completed more than 500 additional trips compared with last summer, while keeping our completed sailings rate at roughly 98%. That’s up from 97.2% in summer 2024. We know even one canceled sailing can be frustrating, especially when it affects our customers’ plans, commutes and time with family and friends. That’s why we remain focused on hiring new employees and training existing employees for licensed positions. These are the jobs we need most on our boats, and it can take years to train and license someone. We’ve been working on this for the past three to four years, and we’re confident these efforts will continue to reduce crew-related cancellations as we build a more stable workforce. We’re also doing everything we can to reduce vessel repair related cancellations by keeping our aging fleet in working order as we wait for our new ferries to arrive. Fall through spring is our slower season, which gives us more time to complete scheduled maintenance on our boats. But with no spare vessel available, when maintenance takes longer than planned or an unexpected repair comes up, this can affect service. We will communicate any of these disruptions in advance or as quickly as possible for emergent issues.

Peak season surcharge ends Wednesday, Sept. 30

If you drive aboard our ferries, your fare may be lower starting Thursday, Oct. 1. That’s the first day with no peak season surcharge for full-fare drivers and vehicles. The 35% surcharge is added during our busiest travel months, from May 1 through Sept. 30. It does not apply to multi-ride cards. To see your fare for a specific day and route, use our online calendar to calculate your fare. The Washington State Transportation Commission, who set our fares, has more information about how they’re set.

The last day of the 35% peak season surcharge for our vehicle and driver fares is Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Expect more motorcycles on Whidbey Island ferry routes Sept. 27

Anacortes will host the 43rd Oyster Run on Sunday, Sept. 27, bringing many motorcyclists to the area. Travelers should expect heavier motorcycle traffic on our Mukilteo/Clinton and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes. At Mukilteo and Clinton, motorcycles may be directed to the general vehicle line and loaded on a first-come, first-served basis. For our Port Townsend/Coupeville run, making a vehicle reservation ahead of time can help reduce your wait. If you’re traveling either route that day, allow extra time and plan for increased demand.

Expect increased motorcycle traffic on our Whidbey Island routes Sunday, Sept. 27, for the Oyster Run.

Sailing stats for week of Sept. 14-20

For the week of Sept. 14-20, we completed 97.8% of our 3,141 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 74 cancellations, 65 were due to crewing, seven because of schedule resets (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers), two for vessel-related issues and one due to an emergency.

For comparison, during a similar week last year (Sept. 15-21, 2025), we completed 99.5% of our 3,122 scheduled sailings. Of the 19 cancellations that week, 18 were because of schedule resets and one was for an emergency.

Customer kudos

“On September 5, 2026, I went to try to get on the 6:50 p.m. boat to Anacortes from Friday Harbor. It was delayed several hours. I approached the ferry worker and told him I was trying to get my I’ll dog off the island to the emergency vet and did not have a reservation. I didn’t get his name, but he was very concerned for my dog and I and told me to get into lane 6. He asked me if I needed anything else and I only responded that I needed to get on the first vessel. The Chelan arrived and loaded around 9 p.m. As I was driving on, I was directed to the starboard side, and I could see that I was going to be the last vehicle and to the stern. I knew that would delay me getting off in Anacortes and I would have been one of the last vehicles to get off. I rolled down my window and told the guy giving directions (Able-Bodied Seafarer Matt G.) that I had a vet emergency, and he immediately told me to go to the center lane. After the vehicles were loaded Matt came over to my truck and checked on me and asked if I needed anything He did this several times during the ride over. When we got to Anacortes, he told me that they were going to allow the center lane to depart first so that I could be on way to the vet without delay Matt went so far beyond for me and I want to make sure he knows how much I appreciated what he did. He made a terrible wait just a little easier Unfortunately my dog passed away at the animal hospital with medical intervention. Please tell Matt I say thank you and I won’t forget his kind and concerned demeanor.”

-Anacortes/San Juan Islands route customer