Date:  Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Contact: Marta Coursey, WSF Director of Communications, 206-515-3918 (Seattle)

SEATTLE - It just got even easier to plan a ferry trip. Now riders can avoid the busiest times and skip long lines with a new tool that highlights the best times to catch a ferry.

Washington State Ferries (WSF) added color-coded sailing schedules to its website that pinpoint the least and most congested sailing times for drive-on passengers.

“We’re excited about this new tool,” said David Moseley, assistant secretary for WSF. “Ideally, it will allow ferry customers to avoid long waits by choosing a sailing time that’s historically less congested.”

The schedules will be particularly beneficial for weekend and leisure travelers, who typically have more flexibility.

The Edmonds/Kingston route is very popular and busy on weekends, especially Friday nights and Saturday mornings, and the new schedule pinpoints the peak travel times.

www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedule/ScheduleDetailByRoute.aspx?route=ed-king

Currently, the schedules are available for all routes except the San Juan Islands, Tahlequah and Vashon Island. WSF expects to have them for all routes by this summer. The schedules were created based on ridership data from 2010.

The color-coded schedules are available on the right side of each route schedule page beneath a tab titled Best Travel Times. Sailing schedules are available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedule.  

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