Washington ferries still floating back to pre-pandemic service levels

Washington state's ferry system now has four of its eight routes back to pre-pandemic service levels.

But not the Anacortes to Sidney, B.C., run. The state's only international route won't be back until 2030 at the earliest. Only one ferry boat is certified to make that trip, and that vessel is needed in Puget Sound in the meantime.

"To sail internationally, and that's our only international route, you need specialized equipment on the boat," said Ian Sterling, spokesperson for Washington State Ferries. "We only have one boat now, the Chelan, that is allowed to make that run, and we need that boat for domestic service.

"It's a great route, it's our longest route. It's arguably our prettiest route, but it's not a route that gets a lot of ridership compared to the core Puget Sound routes. If you talk to people in Anacortes and the San Juan Islands, they want to see that service operating normally rather than going up to Canada, which is nice to have, but it's not a 'have-to-have' at this time."

Washington State Ferries has been slowing rebuilding service after pandemic slowdowns diminished ridership, along with the number of boats serving each run. Before the pandemic, the system was handling around 24 million to 25 million riders each year. In 2022, 17 million people stepped aboard the ferries.

Still, riders are slowly returning, Sterling said. Vehicle passengers are nearly at pre-pandemic levels for some routes. Foot traffic remains low, however.

"Like downtown Seattle, those big commuter boats out of Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, we had a couple of thousand people every morning, on each sailing, we are just not seeing that anymore. Although it is recovering, it is not what it was."

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The ferries also continue to deal with a shortage of maritime workers, and the state is competing with private companies for those potential hires.

"We're making progress, we're still not where we need to be," Sterling said about hiring new ferry workers. "So if you're looking for a job, state ferries are a great place to be, if you don't want to ride a desk all day; you get the best view in Puget Sound."

Sterling added that the agency is also working with a smaller fleet than in years past — currently 21 vessels. The agency is eagerly awaiting new boats that have been approved by state officials. Hybrid ferries, which can sometimes run exclusively on electricity, are slated to eventually come to Puget Sound.

Ferry routes recover, but some still waiting

As for other ferry routes, the busy Edmonds-Kingston run resumed its two-boat service last month after many months with a single ferry.

The "triangle route" (Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth) will be back to three-boat weekday service this spring.

Meanwhile, Bremerton riders will have to wait until the fall before it gets two boats back for its connection to Seattle.

Port Townsend and Coupeville will have to wait until next year to regain service last seen before the pandemic.

Dyer Oxley contributed to this report.