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Water taxi finishes up record year
 The
Elliott Bay Water Taxi wrapped up its ninth sailing season this past
weekend, marking the completion of its most successful run yet.
This season ran from May 1 to Sept. 30, and saw an increase of
approximately nine percent over the same period last year. Although the
numbers aren’t all in yet, Metro is projecting overall ridership for the
2006 season at more than 118,000 passengers - the highest summer
ridership in water taxi history.
King County Metro Transit
debuted the water taxi in 1997 with the 82-passenger “Admiral Pete.” In
2004, the service expanded with the introduction of the 150-passenger
“Sightseer.” For the past three seasons, the waterborne service has been
teamed with a land shuttle – Metro Route 773 – that connects the dock at
Seacrest Marina Park to Alki, the Admiral District, and the West Seattle
Junction.
Water taxi riders are a mix of tourists and West Seattle commuters who
find the 12-minute trip across the bay a unique way to see the sights
and a peaceful way to get to work.
“I think the great weather this summer may have initially attracted more
people to this service, and has been one reason we had
additional regular riders during the season,” said Mike Beck, Metro’s
project manager for the water taxi. “But, we saw growth in both tourism
and commuters.”
The water taxi is gaining a reputation as a good public transportation
option especially when surface streets are clogged. In late June, there
was a serious accident that closed the West Seattle Bridge during the
morning commute. The water taxi carried more than 1,600 commuters to
downtown Seattle during the eight-hour closure of the bridge.
Beck said after that particular day, there was a significant increase in
commuter ridership on the Sightseer. “After people tried it once, they
really liked it as an alternative way to commute,” he says.
The regular commuters are a tight-knit bunch. They are on a first-name
basis with the crew, share treats, and celebrate birthdays. On the final
weekday of service last Friday, one group of friends from West Seattle
spent the morning sailing back and forth just for fun.
Since its inception, the water taxi has delivered more than 770,000
trips between West Seattle and the downtown waterfront. Over the years,
Metro has worked on making the service more efficient and
cost-effective. Beck said that has been accomplished by adjusting fares,
sailing times, and the schedule for both the water taxi and the land
shuttle. |
