Kitsap Transit expanding Bremerton-Seattle fast ferry service

BREMERTON, Wash. — Kitsap Transit is expanding fast ferry service between Bremerton and Seattle following an increase in ridership and a favorable study.

Two-boat service begins Feb. 24 when Kitsap Transit offers 24 sailings daily on weekdays during peak commute hours – 10 in the morning, 14 in the afternoon.

The announcement follows a study last fall when Kitsap Transit operated 140 one-way trips between Bremerton and Seattle for four weeks. The four-week study was meant to simulate a two-boat schedule and allowed a research team to college data to measure the impact of the fast ferries on Rich Passage's beaches and nearby coastline. Researchers found little to no impact from the additional service.

When it was still operating its own fast ferry service, Washington State Ferries faced litigation from Rich Passage property owners who alleged wakes from the 350-passenger vessels were eroding beaches and damaging bulkheads. That service ended in the mid-2000s.

https://www.king5.com/article/traffic/traffic-news/kitsap-transit-expanding-bremerton-seattle-service/281-1373404b-641e-47f3-ab3a-4020183dc61b