The Washington State House voted 87-8 Friday to approve a bill expanding the ability of local transit agencies to establish passenger ferry service, in the hopes of supplementing the struggling state ferry system. Now the bill is headed to the state Senate.
Representative Greg Nance’s (D-23rd, Bainbridge) House Bill 1923, which has been dubbed the Mosquito Fleet Act — in reference to the heyday of passenger ferry service on Puget Sound in the late 19th and early 20th century — has seen significant changes since it was introduced in early January. But the core goal remains the same: to make it easier for transit agencies to quickly get passenger ferry service up and running where it’s most needed.
Under the bill, the number of government entities able to establish local passenger ferry districts would dramatically expand, to include port districts, counties, and regional and city transit agencies. If local elected officials choose to create those districts, they unlock specific revenue tools available for that purpose, including a 0.3% sales tax, and a commercial parking tax (outside King County), along with many of the other revenue tools available to transit agencies like fare collection and advertising. In order to start collecting any additional sales tax, voter approval would be required.
Current state law allows only Kitsap Transit to operate a passenger ferry district, with a special arrangement in place that allows for the operation of King County’s passenger ferry fleet. In an amendment adopted on the House floor, only entities that border Puget Sound or Grays Harbor would be able to create new ferry districts, narrowing the original scope of the bill. In its current form, it would still allow passenger ferry districts to pop up everywhere from Olympia to the San Juan Islands and Bellingham.
“We’re entering year six of service disruptions and cancellations for Washington State Ferries, and this has been very, very challenging for affected communities,” Nance said ahead of the bill’s final passage in the House. “This means neighbors missing work, missing school, missing medical appointments. We’re beginning to turn the corner thanks to the hard work of Washington State Ferries crew and personnel and thanks to good leadership and good decisions, but we’ve got to move faster, and we’ve got to unlock every tool that we can.”
The bill’s public hearing in late February brought out supporters of expanding passenger ferry service from up and down Puget Sound, from many communities that have been impacted by service issues at Washington State Ferries, and communities that could benefit from expanded service.
“I support this bill because of the opportunity it presents to address our climate goals and the opportunities it presents to create more multi-modal connections for our transit riders and workers,” Seattle Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck told the committee. Seattle will undoubtedly continue to be a regional passenger ferry hub, and Kitsap Transit is eyeing the long-languishing Pier 48, to the south of King County’s existing passenger ferry terminal at Pier 50, as a new foot ferry hub in the state’s largest city.
“Many Seattleites and Seattle workers ride our ferries, and maybe more would if they had a route that got them where they needed to go. With potential routes connecting South Seattle, Des Moines and Vashon Island, these passenger only ferries would create vital new transit options, reducing commute times and expanding access to job opportunities throughout our region,” Rinck continued.
Other local elected officials around the region were clearly clamoring to be able to act on the additional authority that HB 1923 would provide them.
“I’m here to encourage you to think of this bill not just as a funding bill, but as a policy framework that can help ports be part of the game,” Port of Olympia Commissioner Jasmine Vasavada said. “Ports are in the business of delivering economic development, and if the intent of the sponsor is to unlock us as jurisdictional partners, we can bring land to the table. We have 66 acres at the Port of Olympia, including a deep-water berth that would be great for a ferry. We can bring financing tools that are within our existing statutory authority and are not fully tapped already. And we can try to recruit electric hydrofoil ferry manufacturers to our industrial lands.”
Friday’s vote came just one day after Governor Bob Ferguson announced he’s directing Washington State Ferries (WSF) to change course on long-planned ferry electrification work, and delaying a plan to pull two boats out of service later this year that were planned for hybrid-electric conversion. The new goal is restoring service to pre-pandemic levels by this year in advance of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Putting 18 boats on the water means the agency will be able to restore a second boat to the Seattle-Bremerton route and the Port Townsend-Coupeville route, and a third boat to the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route. Restoring international service to British Columbia remains further off.
But even as WSF continues to make strides toward restoring service and improving on-time reliability, passenger ferries have proven to be an invaluable supplement, and provide quicker connections for transit riders. A 2021 study completed by the Puget Sound Regional Council identified several top candidates for passenger ferry routes that would save riders a significant amount of time compared to current transit options. Passenger ferries could also provide benefits for the broader community.
“I see a benefit beyond reliability from an emergency response perspective,” Jared Moravec, chief of the Bainbridge Island Fire Department, told the House transportation committee. “An increase in the number of passenger ferry vessels can provide additional means of transportation for moving essential emergency workers, as well as food, medical and other disaster supplies to communities that could otherwise be isolated and without other good options for relief. Passenger only ferries can also become an option for evacuations due to wildfire and other emergencies.”
Originally HB 1923 would also have established a new state-level passenger ferry grant program to give local governments direct support. That has precedent, with both runs on Kitsap Transit’s fast ferries and new mid-day service between Seattle and Vashon Island funded by the state. But with legislators grappling with significant budget deficits, actually providing funding for such a grant program was always going to prove challenging, and creating that new grant program adds additional costs for the state.
Even without that program, some lawmakers have raised concerns that HB 1923 could create new routes that require ongoing support from the state. Representative Julia Reed (D-36th, Seattle), a vice-chair of the House transportation committee, questioned supporters of the bill about this during the February hearing.
“I’m not questioning that ferry service is essential. My concern is about the viability of the state to fund a longer run of ferry service at multiple locations, given our current restrictions, and given the current way that we subsidize and invest in in county ferries,” Reed said. “Once you start providing a service, as we’ve seen with our regular car ferries, when that service gets pulled back because operations and maintenance can’t be continued, it’s extremely painful and disruptive to folks.”
Without a grant program attached, HB 1923 likely faces calmer seas in the state Senate. But some lawmakers may still be skeptical about creating new programs at a time of budget issues across state and local governments. Backers of HB 1923, however, argue that this is exactly the right time to get creative and put as many options on the table as possible.
“By looking to Washington’s maritime history and heritage, we can re-envision a future that’s more connected, that’s healthier and more prosperous,” Nance said.
Ryan Packer has been writing for The Urbanist since 2015, and currently reports full-time as Contributing Editor. Their beats are transportation, land use, public space, traffic safety, and obscure community meetings. Packer has also reported for other regional outlets including Capitol Hill Seattle, BikePortland, Seattle Met, and PubliCola. They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
