Washington State Ferries will expand coverage of the unscheduled “ghost boat” on Vashon’s Triangle Route this fall, and also hopes to have hired a consultant by that time to update the route’s schedule.
Those positive updates come as the Seattle-Vashon Water Taxi, which expanded midday service this summer, has posted greatly improved ridership numbers. Overall ridership was up 195% from that same time last year, King 5 reported in mid-late July.
“(From the time period of) July 1 to July 9 … in 2023, we had 1,300 riders, approximately … In 2024, we’ve had 3,800 riders,” Terry Federer, marine division director of King County Transit, told the TV station about overall ridership numbers.
For car ferry riders, WSF’s latest news may mean more stability going forward.
Beginning with WSF’s fall schedule, which starts September 22, “bonus boat” coverage will expand to every day of the week, and run from 8 a.m. through 6 p.m.
That service, which started in June, has this summer operated on weekdays between 5:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., WSF Director of Planning, Customer and Government Relations John Vezina said.
The third boat is sometimes called the “ghost boat” because it picks up slack on the route by making unscheduled runs.
WSF expects to operate that bonus boat until the agency is able to reliably return the three-boat schedule to the route, Vezina said, cautioning that the third “bonus” boat will only operate as staffing and boat availability allow. The boat still may be recalled when needed for emergencies on other routes.
Vezina shared optimism for its expanded hours this fall — and framed it as a step toward the three-boat service the island had before the pandemic.
“While still reliant on having the crewing and vessel availability to add the service, we’re focused on reliability for both and are optimistic about being able to operate the third boat,” he wrote in an email. “We hear from both customers and our colleagues working the route the third boat is keeping the other two boats on schedule and making a meaningful difference. While trialing and restoring a third Issaquah Class boat that gets us back to regular service there, we believe this interim step will improve service to all three terminals.”
In the meantime, WSF has received “four strong replies” to its call for a consultant to help update the two-boat schedule, Vezina said.
“Finalizing consultant contracts always takes longer than we’d like,” he said, adding that WSF hopes to have a contract signed and the consultant working by September.
“With robust stakeholder engagement necessary, and lead time for bidding seasonal schedules, it will [likely] be spring or summer 2025 until a new two-boat schedule is in place,” he said.
Efforts to update the schedule, which WSF officials have acknowledged doesn’t work, were boosted by funding from the legislature this year. However, after a qualified candidate first accepted and then declined the scheduler job, WSF officials decided to submit an RFP (request for proposals) earlier this year to hire a consultant and finally finish the route schedule rewrite.
Amy Drayer, Director of Islanders for Ferry Action, praised WSF’s recent steps but said much more work is needed before Vashon’s aquatic transportation is back to full health.
“Institutionalizing expansion of the bonus boat, even though there will still be service disruptions, is better than simply operating on the two-boat schedule,” she said in an email. “We celebrate WSF’s work to roll out incremental improvements. But of course, serious flaws remain in the two-boat schedule — delays and gaps — that need to be addressed. We look forward to supporting that fix.”
The long-term solution, she wrote, will take sustained government investment in new boats, competitive crew wages, accountability, and a more diverse and flexible system of marine transit.
