Staffing crunch forces Washington State Ferries to reduce service on major routes starting Saturday

After resuming normal service on most routes earlier this week, Washington State Ferries (WSF) announced that it would be reducing service on several routes starting Oct. 16 due to ongoing staffing shortages.

The ferry system was rocked by cancelations last week which rippled throughout the entire system over the weekend. The new service changes will allow WSF to "provide more predictable and reliable travel" and help alleviate the crew shortage.

Starting Saturday, the Seattle/Bainbridge, Edmonds/Kingston. and Mukilteo/Clinton routes will all drop to one-boat service instead of two. The Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route will be reduced to two-boat service instead of three, while the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route will decrease to a three-boat schedule and also suspend vehicle reservations.

The Seattle/Bremerton, Point Defiance/Tahlequah and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes will remain on one-boat service.

"Throughout the pandemic, we’ve worked hard to maintain reliable service, completing the vast majority of sailings," said Patty Rubstello, head of WSF, in a news release Wednesday. "However, to better reflect the service we can currently provide and to minimize last-minute cancelations due to a lack of crew, we made this difficult decision to adjust our schedules."

The cuts are expected to be temporary as the agency is actively recruiting new employees, but no date for resuming normal service was given. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, WSF has hired over 150 crewmembers.

The vaccine mandate for state workers, which goes into effect Oct. 18, could also put more strain on staffing levels. All employees are required to show proof of vaccination or they could face "non-disciplinary dismissal" for failure to meet job requirements.

The state's ferry fleet was already stretched thin over the high-volume summer months and forced to use smaller-sized vessels after the Wenatchee, which can hold 202 vehicles, was taken out of service following an engine room fire in April. The loss of the larger vessel had "cascading effects" across the entire ferry system, leading to reduced service and longer wait times for riders.

Due to staffing issues and COVID-19 border restrictions, WSF has not added any international sailings to B.C. back on the schedule since the beginning of the pandemic. Service on Sidney/Anacortes ferry will remain suspended until spring 2022.