West Seattle commute: Water Taxi ridership keeps rising

May 19, 2011 at 6:12 am | In Alaskan Way Viaduct, King County Water Taxi, West Seattle news | 16 Comments

Thinking of taking the Water Taxi today, after what commenters say has been a steadily worsening Highway 99 commute post-lane reductions? Here’s the schedule. The county tells us that through the first three days of the week, ridership has been consistently higher than the previous week, particularly on the afternoon runs. We stopped by Seacrest for photos on Wednesday and counted 31 people disembarking around 4:30 pm. We’re expecting official numbers in a week-one wrapup on Monday.

16 Comments

  1. Wonder how it will be today with the M’s game at 12:40….

    Comment by coffee — 6:54 am May 19, 2011 #

  2. Probably sunny and 60 degrees. My ride home yesterday saw all the outward facing seats on the top deck full, something I haven’t seen this season yet. The Rachel Marie has capacity for 150 passengers.

    Comment by austin — 7:01 am May 19, 2011 #

  3. Thanks Austin for the capacity stat, I was just going to ask that!

    Comment by Jasperblu — 7:28 am May 19, 2011 #

  4. I was wondering about how traffic would be with the M’s game getting out at rush. But then again, with attendance averaging about 12,000 per game, there may be no measurable difference. I guess we owe management a little gratitude for not fielding a competitive team.

    Comment by CandrewB — 7:42 am May 19, 2011 #

  5. We’ve been taking the water taxi every day this week, and ridership is increasing each day, but it’s not full, and definitely lots of room left for more.

    Comment by April — 8:46 am May 19, 2011 #

  6. This still seems like an insignificant number of riders (many of which probably use it as an alternative to the bus, not cars), but maybe it could be a slight benefit to us if it were beefed up? I bet if there were two boats (service twice as often, better reliability), more parking at the dock, and fares were subsidized to be as low as bus fare, people might start to see this is a viable commute option.
    .
    Even then we are only talking about a couple hundred people, but I supposed it might put a tiny dent in the bridge traffic? Anyway, subsidizing more ferry runs is at least an option that seems somewhat realistic, unlike ridiculous fantasies like a future with light rail in West Seattle.

    Comment by Alex — 8:49 am May 19, 2011 #

  7. The Water Taxi had about 90 people on it the other night immediately after the rainy Sounders game. That was the most I have ever seen riding it.

    Comment by Sal — 9:42 am May 19, 2011 #

  8. I agree with Alex about the cost. Back in the day, I used to be able to use my bus pass on it without any upcharge. That would be lovely. Another boat would be great too, but somehow I don’t think we’ll get both those wishes coming true!

    We gave up commuting via car after the “squeeze” so we are indeed one less car on the bridge & viaduct now.

    Comment by April — 10:19 am May 19, 2011 #

  9. Can bikes go on the water taxi?

    Comment by kate — 10:53 am May 19, 2011 #

  10. Kate – re: bikes, yes.

    Comment by WSB — 11:03 am May 19, 2011 #

  11. I really loved riding the Water Taxi, when it was affordable; $7 round trip is way too much; so if the #’s are still down even with nightmare commutes, I would guess that $7 RT is preventing many from seeing WT as a viable option; it makes me sad & mad that I can no longer afford to take the Water Taxi

    Comment by Diane — 12:15 pm May 19, 2011 #

  12. If you are lucky enough to have an employer who is part of this particular Metro corporate plan, the monthly Orca pass that is issued covers the whole fare without an upcharge. Companies get a significant discount per pass in the plan but the kicker is they are required to purchase passes for all of their employees, whether the employees use them or not.

    Comment by Water_Taxi_Rocks — 12:50 pm May 19, 2011 #

  13. I would love to see a list of those employers, so I can apply for a job; and they should get due acclaim for offering such a great benefit

    Comment by Diane — 1:53 pm May 19, 2011 #

  14. @Diane $7 RT is still considerably cheaper than buying a monthly parking garage spot in downtown Seattle, which is what most commuters options would be, if they don’t bus it, or take the water taxi, or car pool, etc.
    .
    I can use my Orca card on the Water Taxi which is also helpful. Just load the card up w/ $ once a month or so, and I’m done.

    Comment by Cheryl — 5:47 pm May 19, 2011 #

  15. I know, late comment as usual:

    The ORCA “Passport” card my employer pays for (and I chip in 1/3) covers the Water Taxi fare, as well as bus fares. But at least it covers the cost. Some employer-provided ORCA cards are only loaded with a preset amount, and if you spend it on a pricey WT ride, you may be SOL on a Thursday when hopping on the taxi.

    Comment by JayDee — 7:20 pm May 19, 2011 #

  16. We had one family member take the water taxi a couple of times last week. Trip time averaged 60 minutes door-to-door between work and home – partly due to the long walk from Pier 50 to Downtown business district. Might as well live in Issaquah . . . .

    Comment by William — 3:24 pm May 22, 2011 #

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