SEATTLE — Seattle's Pier 50 starts bustling just before 5:30 a.m. ahead of the first sailing on the King County Water Taxi.
The “fast ferry” takes 278 passengers on each sailing from Seattle to Vashon Island, and Seattle to West Seattle.
The Seattle-Vashon route runs 22 minutes one way and Seattle-West Seattle clocks in at 15 minutes one way.
King County added new mid-day sailings at the beginning of July after many months of research into what customers were looking for.
Metro Marine Division director Terry Federer said the “work commute” changed since the pandemic. According to feedback, mid-day sailings would not only help people with business needs, but also for medical appointments and tourism.
Vashon Island resident Aren Der Hacopiqm said his work hours can be flexible. He added that having more options on the water taxi saves him time.
“It cuts my commute time in half,” Der Hacopian said.
The fast ferry, in Der Hacopian’s case, turns hours long commutes into quick trips.
“If I use the car with the ferries…the ferries, they're doing their best, but they're really behind sometimes and sometimes you have to calculate about a three-hour round-trip, for me and I work in the Seattle center area,” Der Hacopian said.
The Sally Fox and Doc Maynard are the water taxi’s main vessels. The Spirit of Kingston is in reserve as the metro system’s spare boat. The Sally Fox and the Doc Maynard were built in 2015. The Spirit of Kingston was built in 2005.
Each vessel can move on the water faster because it's carrying passengers only.
The water taxi's run into fewer issues with staffing smaller transit vessels than a larger ferry that carries passengers, freight and vehicles.
“The fact that we're just focused on passengers, small luggage, we don't have the same crew requirements that some of these largest ships might have,” said Terry Federer, marine division director, King County Transit.
While the water taxi only operates on two routes, Federer said there is the possibility of adding more routes in the future, especially if demand keeps up.
Four new jobs were created and filled as a result of adding the midday sailings, according to the King County Metro.
"Most of our crew have been with us for a very, very long time," Federer said. "We're very fortunate to have a strong team that really likes working here."
The new midday sailings have only been in effect for three weeks, but the transit team said it is already seeing its impact.
Overall ridership is up 195% from this time last year.
"Some of the recent data we've collected from the ridership between July 1 to July 9," Federer said. "In 2023, we had 1,300 riders, approximately during that time. In 2024, we've had 3,800 riders."
Federer said it appears more people are looking for ways to use public transit.
Roger Kundtz, Nicholas Kundtz, and Lisa Rensberger, of Vashon Island, used the fast ferry from Vashon Island to Seattle for the first time this month. It's a route they say they will use more often.
“There’s a lot going on in Seattle," said Roger Kundtz, who just recently moved to the island. "It's hard to access if you're on the island and having to get in the car and park, and all that it becomes a little unruly."
For Nicholas Kundtz, the water taxi and bus will be his main forms of transit when he starts his freshman year at the University of Washington this fall.
“It's going to be convenient - like a good option to just go back-and-forth if I need to from the campus to Vashon," Nicholas Kundtz said.
Roger said the fare is also a great deal.
Adults aged 19 to 64 ride for $6.75, seniors 65 and older ride for $3.00, and riders 18 and younger can use the transit system for free. An ORCA Lift pass gets a rider on for $4.50. Pets and bicycles are also permitted at no extra charge.