‘Islanders for Ferry Action’ & ‘Fix Our Ferries’ applaud Ferguson ferry priorities 

Thursday, January 16, 2025

FOLLOWING IS A STATEMENT BY VASHON ISLAND-BASED ‘ISLANDERS FOR FERRY ACTION’ & THE ‘FIX OUR FERRIES’ COALITION

Governor Bob Ferguson gets started right by focusing his budget priorities on steps to fix the state’s ferry transportation crisis. Ferguson released his 2025 – 2027 budget priorities this week, including important investment in Washington State Ferries (WSF) crew recruitment and retention. 

Islanders for Ferry Action (IFA) steering committee member and Vashon Ferry Advisory Committee member Wendy Aman was quick to acknowledge the governor’s early action. “Governor Ferguson has honored his campaign promise to invest in our ferry system. Our communities are sinking under this burden. We’re glad this crisis is being taken seriously at so many levels of government.” 

In addition to funding crew retention and recruitment, IFA and the regional Fix Our Ferries coalition continue to press upon lawmakers the urgent need to rebuild the fleet by investing in boat construction. 

We are equally interested in accompanying policy changes. The Governor has called for closer executive oversight by moving the WSF Secretary position to cabinet level. We applaud this and other measures that will increase transparency and accountability. 

IFA experience and engagement in the community also underscore the need for alternative solutions on our marine highways, including expansion of water taxi service throughout the Sound. “Substantial ridership increases since expansion in July prove that water taxi service can ease the crisis by getting people out of cars,” Aman continued. “We encourage future-focused investment in this efficient, carbon-friendly transit alternative by the legislature for the Vashon route and throughout the region.” 

Also released this week are statistics from Washington State Ferries citing increased ridership in 2024, much of it driven by walk-on travelers. 

We herald this good news. It’s critical that riders continue returning to the system even as service remains reduced. We know ridership depends on reliability, and these are good signs of recovery. However, we still see important cracks to acknowledge; while the Pt. Defiance / Tahlequah route led growth, from speaking with islanders, IFA believes that many of those travelers have been choosing that route as a backup alternative – because of the large midday and early evening schedule gaps as well as the unreliable and erratic service on the Triangle Route. Focus on restoration of service remains as critical as ever. 

We celebrate these signs of progress and steps forward this week. We look forward to continuing the conversation with lawmakers in Olympia this February 4-6 during our regional Fix Our Ferries coalition lobby days. Through the coalition, elected officials and residents from Island County, San Juan County, Kitsap County and King County will work together throughout the legislative session to ensure we’re providing lawmakers the support they need to continue investing in our iconic ferry system and our marine highways. 

We continue to thank all the crew in our ferry system who work so hard every day to move us where we need to go despite the ferry crisis challenges. We understand this situation impacts them as it does our own communities and economies. 

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Islanders for Ferry Action is a project of the Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce, comprised of islanders dedicated to identifying and lobbying for solutions to chronic ferry service disruptions. IFA has teamed up with communities across the Sound to form a regional coalition; the Fix Our Ferries citizen action movement has now grown to multiple communities that extend the length and breadth of the Washington State Ferries system, from the San Juan Islands to Vashon. Learn more at www.FixOurFerries.org