Bainbridge Island Ferry Advisory Committee -BI FAC

08/08/2026

05/29/2026

News from WSF:
WSF will celebrate its 75th anniversary Monday, June 1st, with events and giveaways planned throughout June.

The festivities begin with the raising of a Washington State Ferries flag on top of the Space Needle the morning of Monday, June 1st. Riders will get custom stickers and Sodexo Live! offer a free coffee or free popcorn with any purchase at our on-board galleys. From 3-5 p.m., ORCA will have a table at Colman Dock with prizes and games for riders traveling to and from Bainbridge Island and Bremerton.

WSF will fly custom anniversary flags on board all our vessels throughout June. Local landmarks such as the Great Wheel and State Route 520 Floating Bridge will light up in our green and white colors that night.

KNHC-FM C89.5 Public Radio will host live dance parties on four ferries throughout June, bringing music to the sun decks and giving riders another way to celebrate.

Riders are also invited to follow WSF on social media for ways to win ferry swag throughout the month of June. Follow on Instagram, Facebook, X and Bluesky for chances to win.

More information and details in the link.

SEATTLE – Washington State Ferries will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Monday, June 1. Events are planned across Puget Sound starting Friday, May 29, and throughout the month of June.

05/06/2026

We are sharing changes to the Kingston Ferry route since many of our BI ferry riders also use the Kinston route. Please be advised of the new changes, which are currently being tested, and will begin on June 1, 2026.

We’re introducing a new system next month for vehicles boarding a ferry at our Kingston terminal during peak travel times. The goal is to help improve traffic flow and prevent line cutting as we head into our busy summer season.

Signs on eastbound SR 104 at Barber Cutoff Road will show when the system is active. When it is, a traffic signal before Lindvog Road will guide ferry traffic into a designated area. There, drivers must take a boarding pass from an automated dispenser to hold their place in line. They will then wait for another traffic signal that will direct them to proceed to the dock. When demand is high, the light may stay red for a while. Drivers must present their boarding pass at the tollbooth when the system is in use.

Testing will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on all Saturdays and Sundays in May, and on Memorial Day, May 25. It will be in full use starting Monday, June 1.

04/20/2026

Last week, WSF released the annual update to their Service Contingency Plan. The plan is posted on the WSF website and linked below.

While they maintain 18-vessel and 17-vessel service with only a 21-vessel fleet, the Service Contingency Plan is the framework they use to guide decisions in the event of a service disruption. Their goal is always to provide as much service as possible, but with a limited fleet size, any vessel or terminal outage has impacts across the system. The plan shows how WSF decides which routes to prioritize, how they assign boats and crews, and how they adjust service to keep as many sailings running as possible. Their stated aim is to provide as much transparency as they can to ferry customers and set realistic expectations when service changes are needed.

A notable change in this year’s Service Contingency Plan is the inclusion of contingency plans for the World Cup in June and July. WSF is planning to have two relief vessels available, so any service issues can be quickly addressed. Having these relief vessels will help support service reliability not just over the course of the six World Cup matches, but the busy summer travel season across the entire system.

This updated version of the Service Contingency Plan reflects community feedback they heard over the last year.

03/12/2026

Our BIFAC Bi-Monthly meeting will be held tomorrow 3/12/2025 at 6:30PM via Zoom. Agenda below. FAC Meeting details in the link.

1) Discussion on proposed SR-305/High School Road Roundabout impacted by Ferry Traffic Lines, including Community Feedback Data and WSDOT responses [Richard]
2) Follow-up: improving communications and public awareness of BIFAC, including public meeting venue [Joe]
3) WSF 3% card fee discussion [Anthony]
4) Discussion of the 2026 Legislative Session in respect to its impacts on ferry service in general (i.e. include fast, passenger ferries aka Mosquito fleet) and WSF in particular [Joe]
5) Update from WSF on Bainbridge & Bremerton Sailing Schedule Task Force [Richard]
6) EX Comm Update [Richard]
7) Plans for free public wi-fi at Coleman Dock [Joe]
8 ) Follow-up: Clarification on the location of Vessel Watch at Coleman Dock and the BI ferry terminal. [Joe]
9) Other issues, Public Comments, and Open Q&A
10) Adjourn

Washington State Ferries committees were established in the early 1960s by the Marine Division of Washington State Department of Transportation to promote improvements in the ferry system through interaction with ferry riders, Washington State Ferries, the Transportation Commission and the State ...

02/20/2026

Regarding the 3% transaction fee announced by Washington State Ferries (WSF):

During a meeting last year between WSF and the leaders of each Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC), the 3% card transaction fee was discussed. The chair of BIFAC had pointed out that all major card brands explicitly forbid surcharging debit or prepaid cards, even if the transaction is processed as "credit". When merchants sign up to accept these cards, they agree to follow these rules. Violating them can lead to fines or termination of their ability to process payments.

In a WSF presentation to the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) on these fees, WSF and WSTC acknowledged receiving many questions about debit cards. WSF indicated that they had removed PIN pads during COVID and thus have no way of differentiating between credit and debit cards. The presentation can be seen at the link below, at the 1:42:00 mark (with transcript). WSTC pushed back on the rationale, timing, and fairness.

We have this as an agenda item to follow up on our next BIFAC meeting in 3 weeks, specifically on how the feedback from the AG, how they are avoiding the merchant rules, and specific plans to address debit cards.

The Washington State Transportation Commission convenes for a meeting in Olympia.

02/12/2026

We attended the WSDOT open house for the planned roundabout at High School Road and SR305. We will be summarizing some of the conversations with WSDOT and WSF and how they responded to the key concerns gathered from community feedback provided through comments on this page and the Bainbridge Islanders FB group.

You can still provide input on the project in their online open house through February 20, 2026 at the following link:
https://engage.wsdot.wa.gov/sr-305-high-school-rd

02/12/2026

The Washington State Transportation Commission’s February 18/19 meeting is nearly here! Join us online on Zoom or TVW -- Washington Public Affairs Network or in-person at the County Road Administration Board Room in Olympia.

Agenda highlights:
▪️The effect of global tariffs on the transportation sector and Washington’s economy.
▪️The “15-minute” city concept of making key services available in walkable and bikeable neighborhoods.
▪️Preparations under way to replace the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River.
▪️Changes to the process of setting toll rates and policies.
▪️The latest on the addition of a credit card transaction fee to fares for Washington State Ferries.

🗨️ Public comment online and in-person is scheduled for 9 a.m. on February 19.

💻To register to attend virtually and to review the agenda, visit https://wstc.wa.gov/agendas/2026/01/23/meeting-agenda-february-18-19-2026/

02/11/2026

As Chair of the Bainbridge Island Ferry Advisory Committee, I've reviewed the 130+ comments submitted across the different FB groups regarding the WSDOT proposed roundabout. In preparation for the WSDOT Roundabout Pre-Design Open House tomorrow on B.I., I've had these comments bucketed into themes to show the prevalence of concerns and comments, as shown in the first table below. Since many of the comments/concerns have already been addressed on the WSDOT planning website for this project, I've created a report on the issues presented and whether they've been addressed yet by WSDOT (2nd table below). This Community Feedback Report will be provided to WSDOT, and the full report can be viewed at the following link. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kvW97sb-t-chUMGbmJLi7xqwERd94UFTdrAndy2LUiA/edit?usp=sharing

02/10/2026

Important information for those planning to go to the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Parade tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a big day! The Seattle Seahawks will be celebrating their big win along with an estimated 750k friends and fans. What should you know?

Expect crowds. Like a LOT of people. You will likely have to wait hours to get on your desired sailing. Pack your patience. Arriving early and leaving late will minimize wait times.

Purchase your tickets ahead of time. There will be thousands of people trying to buy tickets at the same time which may overwhelm ticket sales in Seattle. You can purchase tickets at kiosks or online.

We will be on two-boat service on our Bainbridge and Bremerton routes, and two boat-schedule on our Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route with a bonus boat.