WSF reports surge in 2024 ridership
Written by Marine Log Staff
Photo: WSF
The largest ferry service in the U.S., Washington State Ferries (WSF), welcomed nearly 500,000 more people aboard last year compared to the year before. Ridership for the year was more than 19.1 million, up 2.6% from 2023, which was, itself, up from the prior year.
WSF says that the lowest number of canceled sailings since 2020 and a big jump in walk-on passengers fueled the rise in annual ridership. The number of walk-ons soared by 224,000, or 5.7%, as tourism and a return to the office for many workers increased substantially. Passengers with vehicles climbed by a more modest 102,000, or 1.1%.
WSF 2024 route-by-route ridership highlights
WSF says that the greatest year-to-year surge came on the Point Defiance/Tahlequah run. Total ridership on the route—vehicles and passengers combined—spiked 5.8%. The Seattle/Bainbridge Island run was the system’s busiest in 2024 with 4.9 million total riders, followed by Edmonds/Kingston with 3.7 million.
Other system highlights by route:
- Point Defiance/Tahlequah: System-high year-to-year jump in total riders of 5.8%; vehicles went up 3.6%; walk-ons soared 9.8%.
- Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: Total riders rose 2.8%; vehicles increased 1.8%; system-high year-to-year surge in walk-ons of 11.4%.
- Seattle/Bremerton: Total riders climbed 3.9%; vehicles went up 1%; walk-ons spiked 6.6%.
- Seattle/Bainbridge Island: Total riders increased 3.2%; vehicles went down 1.9%; walk-ons jumped 6.5% (by a significant amount, the busiest route for customers boarding without a vehicle).
- Edmonds/Kingston: Total riders soared 5.5%; system-high year-to-year increase in vehicles of 5.9%; walk-ons rose 0.9%.
- Mukilteo/Clinton: Total riders dropped 0.2%; vehicles declined 1.1% (yet remained the busiest run for drivers); walk-ons climbed 9.4%.
- Port Townsend/Coupeville: Total riders grew 1.1%; vehicles went up 0.5%; walk-ons surged 3.4%.
- Anacortes/San Juan Islands: Total riders decreased 0.7% from 2023; vehicles remained nearly flat; walk-ons dropped 0.8%.
