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
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
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