Washington state ferry ridership continued to grow in 2017

BREMERTON – Officials say ridership on Washington state ferry routes reached a 15-year high in 2017.

The Kitsap Sun reported state ferries in Washington carried 10.6 million vehicles and 13.8 million passengers last year.

Washington State Ferries Director Amy Scarton said she anticipates ridership to continue to grow as more people move to Western Washington.

Bainbridge and Bremerton routes both grew by about 1.5 percent, while Kingston’s run inched up by about half a percentage point.

The Bainbridge-Seattle ferry run remained the system’s busiest in 2017, hauling 6.5 million riders.