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Washington State Ferries prepare for busy summer season, still facing shortage of boats

Washington State Ferries has 21 boats in its fleet, but only 15 are in service currently. They need 26 boats to have services fully restored.

EDMONDS, Wash. — Washington State Ferries (WSF) is preparing to see more than 300,000 passengers for Memorial Day Weekend, enough people to fill T-Mobile Park six times.

This is the start of the busy summer season when the ferries see double the number of passengers as they do in the winter. This influx of people comes as the system struggles with a shortage of boats.

Residents said they are thankful for the ferries and they are special to the area. But the shortage of boats can cause issues. Right now, three routes are not running at full service and sometimes ferries need to be moved around to help fill gaps.

“That puts us in trouble when we're trying to get back and forth all the time and they're down a ferry, then it's backed up at the ferry terminal, so that gets to be a pain,” said Judy Lindquist, a Port Orchard resident.

Lindquist takes the ferry twice a month to see her mother who lives near Everett. She said it is important to be prepared for the summer months when it gets much busier.

“I'll drive around in the summer if I have to come over on a weekend,” Lindquist said. ”I normally try to come during the week.”

WSF has 21 boats in its fleet, but only 15 are currently in service. To have all routes fully restored WSF needs 26 boats. According to a contingency plan released earlier this year, new ferries are not expected until 2028.

State ferries officials said they are increasing staffing and enter the summer better equipped than in past years since the pandemic.

“We're really close on crewing at the moment," said Ian Sterling, a spokesperson for Washington State Ferries. "Now it's just a matter of moving people up through the ranks."

Last week nearly 40 local leaders sent a letter to Congress asking for federal funding to get more ferries faster. The letter said the system was in crisis, but Sterling said they were in recovery.

“There is money to build up to five new hybrid electric diesel boats, and that's what we intend to do,” Sterling said. “In fact, the bid process for people to bid on that, shipyards to bid on that, will go out I think at the end of this month.”

As another summer comes, people are preparing for crowds, but what WSF really wants are boats.

“It's imperative and they need to get more ferries, and they need to fix the ferries that that are not working,” Lindquist said.

One of the best things people can do this busy summer season is to download the Washington Department of Transportation app where you can track ferries in real-time. Officials said is also helpful to sign up for text and email alerts from the ferry system and make a reservation if you will use a route that allows it.

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