More than 125 Islanders showed up in person at the Land Trust and on Zoom on August 23 for the latest Vashon Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) meeting.

We were looking to be heard, and we were looking for answers. We sort of got both, but mostly got neither from the Washington State Ferries (WSF) staff. Thank you to the intrepid volunteers who serve on the FAC for their work to facilitate a difficult conversation.

My biggest takeaways from the night?

We’re frustrated. We’re experiencing real-world harms and impacts from WSF disruptions, including, but not limited to:

• Missed medical appointments and connection with ailing family
• Overnight strandings on docks; stranded elders and minors
• Employee attrition, inability to recruit off-island employees, and supply disruptions
• Loss of customers and revenue
• Ecological impacts of idling cars during summer and winter months
• Increased costs for riding boats, coupled with decreased service delivery

We need our frustration acknowledged. We want to feel urgency at all levels of WSF and the Washington State Department of Transportation. We need to know that WSF understands that we cannot suffer idly for months or years for plans that may or may not be working. We need short-term solutions for real problems, and long-term plans we can get behind.

It was important at the FAC meeting to see an update to the service restoration plan. It’s our job as ferry riders to understand that plan, follow regular progress updates, and be informed when we hold folks accountable.

We acknowledge and thank the hard-working folks on the docks, boats, and in dispatch. WSF should be one of the best places to work in the state.

As a community, let’s remember to have gratitude for people who ferry us safely where we need to go. We thank the administration when it keeps customer service top of mind.

We acknowledge that there are good individual actors within broken systems.

Still, we’re frustrated. And we have many questions. Just a start:

• The ferries are Vashon’s only road. Why are communities that have unfettered highway access receiving service when people on Vashon are literally stranded, either on or off the island? When there are significant disruptions to the triangle route and the south end runs, why are boats or crew not reassigned to Vashon?
• Months ago, a staff rebuilding plan was introduced. Still, recruitment and retention still seem to pose significant problems. Why are wages for dock, deck, engine, and pilot house crew at WSF not increased to match the private sector to increase recruitment and retention?
• Why must crew be available to work any run? If recruitment and retention are a problem, why are we asking crew from Vashon to be available to work in Anacortes? Additionally, why can’t we have qualified emergency standby crew allowed to staff a roster to serve Vashon if need arises? If this is a union issue, why can’t that be renegotiated on a short-term basis to address the immediate crisis?
• New boats to relieve an aging, mechanically troubled fleet are years away. How is WSF coordinating with other state and local agencies to provide economic relief to businesses and alternative transportation options until new boats are ready?
• Why can’t we revisit the current two-boat schedule in any way? How can the system be more adaptive and responsive to produce a reliable schedule, even if it is temporarily reduced?

The answer to every question above cannot be no, with absolutely no alternative solutions or strategies offered. It’s an unacceptable level of service from the Washington Department of Transportation to residents of Vashon and Washington State.

We have a constitutional right to travel along state highways.

Whether or not it is the case, our experience is that WSF continues to invest valuable time and money in a plan that is underperforming and isn’t offering any new or intermediate solutions.

We need immediate, real-world solutions to address the real harms people are experiencing. In order to empower Vashon residents to pitch in and offer goodwill as we work together to implement those solutions, we need mutual trust.

Trust is broken. We need to find good faith, small steps to rebuild it. We need to start seeing and better understanding results from the WSF restoration of service plans. Our perceived rider experience since the introduction of the plans has been deteriorating service, not improvement.

We deserve to have trust in our public agencies and institutions. We pay our fair share. We deserve safe, reliable transportation to and from our businesses and homes.

Moving forward? We understand that Vashon must advocate more effectively to move more quickly toward improved service and broader solutions. We must organize collectively on Vashon and with other ferry-dependent communities, speak with a unified voice, and take action.

A next opportunity to gather and plan collective action will come as a community organizing meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, at the Vashon High School Theatre. This initial meeting will be organized by the Chamber of Commerce.

We look forward to collaborating with other ferry-served communities, elected officials, courts, media, and public agencies to create and implement real-world solutions for our community.

Amy Drayer is the executive director of the Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce.