Submitted by San Juan County.
After 10 weeks of service, the County’s Marine Transportation Services Pilot Project is complete. These services included emergency barge and foot-passenger transportation during disruptions to Washington State Ferry service, as well as travel to and from the mainland (Anacortes) on a daily basis. Each of these services was provided at no cost to the passengers, subsidized by the County’s emergency funding awarded by the Governor’s Office.
During the July 15 Council meeting, staff reviewed data from the project, including ridership statistics, contractor feedback and next steps.
“I want to thank our contractors and our staff for all they did to make this project possible,” said Council Chair Kari McVeigh. “I look forward to gaining additional insights as we continue to gather data that will support ongoing conversations about transportation needs in our islands.”
Daily passenger service
San Juan Safaris provided seven-day-a-week, twice-daily passenger-only transportation service to Friday Harbor, Orcas, Lopez and Anacortes. During the length of the project, San Juan Safaris reported transporting 2,399 passengers, 114 pets and 465 bikes. The top three reasons for travel included recreation/leisure, traveling to/from work and traveling for appointments, including medical needs.
Emergency services
Outer Island Excursions provided emergency interisland passenger service when WSF experienced disruptions. During the length of the project, Outer Island Excursions was activated for nine days and completed 12 roundtrips that transported 127 passengers. The top three reasons for travel included getting home, traveling for work and receiving medical care.
Pintail Marine was on standby to provide emergency barge service should WSF experience significant service disruptions. This service was not mobilized.
Contractor feedback
The contractors involved in the project provided valuable feedback about increasing communications, addressing the availability of dock space and the desire for a structured schedule for emergency transportation routes. Contractor feedback will continue to be gathered.
Questions or feedback?
Do you have questions or feedback about your experiences with the County’s pilot project? We’d love to hear from you! There are two ways to engage: Take the survey! The County is interested in your experiences, feedback and ideas, and is hosting a short, 10-minute follow-up survey to evaluate the project and consider adjustments for potential future services. Survey link: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-emergency-transportation-services/surveys/follow-up-survey-san-juan-county-marine-transportation-services. It will be live through Aug. 17.
If you were a passenger on one of the routes, we’ll be reaching out directly with a survey link. If you’d rather use the “Feedback” tool on our website, access it at any time here: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-emergency-transportation-services?tool=qanda#tool_tab.
Next steps
SJC staff will continue to compile and analyze data from contractors and passengers to develop a final report. For a complete list of information about the County’s pilot project to establish marine transportation services, please visit https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-emergency-transportation-services.
