Ferries in Washington state carried nearly 25 million passengers last year, the highest level since 2002 and a more than 225,000 increase from 2017.
The number of vehicles increased 1.1 percent to 10.8 million.
More than 161,000 ferry trips were made, traveling nearly 1 million miles.
“Our ridership is up 10 percent from five years ago, and it’s forecast to grow another 30 percent to all-time highs over the next 20 years,” Amy Scarton, Washington State Ferries assistant secretary, said. “In order to support this projected demand with reliable service, our recently released 2040 Long Range Plan calls for 16 new vessels by 2040.”
The plan, submitted to the state’s legislature earlier this month, includes short-, medium- and long-term actions the system can take to increase investments and make improvements.
The largest jump in ridership occurred on the Southworth/Vashon route. Ridership increased 8.8 percent from 2017, making it the third consecutive year of increases.
The flagship terminal, Seattle/Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, had a 0.6 percent decrease in passengers passing through Colman Dock, and 2.3 percent drop in vehicles on the Bainbridge Island route.
Washington State Ferries is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation and is the nation’s largest ferry system.