Starting a week form this Sunday, April 29, the Elliott Bay Water Taxi begins daily service between West Seattle and the downtown waterfront.
The 2007 season will run through Sept. 30.
Again this year, there will be a free West Seattle shuttle that connects the dock at Seacrest Marina Park to Alki, the Admiral District, and the West Seattle Junction.
The Water Taxi will be operated by Argosy Cruises on the "MV Sightseer," a 149-passenger vessel. It will have the same schedule as last summer, operating seven days a week across Elliott Bay, between Pier 55 at the foot of Spring Street on the downtown waterfront and Seacrest Dock in West Seattle. The Sightseer takes approximately 12 minutes to make the crossing in good weather.
On weekdays, the boat sails about every 40 minutes during commute hours, and hourly during the middle of the day. Weekend service is hourly on Saturday and Sunday. On Fridays and Saturdays, night service is provided with the last trip leaving Pier 55 at 10:30 p.m. and Seacrest at 11 p.m. The Friday/Saturday night schedule is also in effect on other weeknights when the Seattle Mariners play at home.
The fare is $3 for anyone over the age of 5. Also accepted for full fare on the Water Taxi are: PugetPasses; Saturday/Sunday Day passes; Regional Reduced Fare Permits with a valid monthly or annual fare sticker; FlexPasses; Metro ACCESS passes; Vanpool passes; and Visitor Passes. Passengers with a valid Metro transfer pay just $1. Bikes are also welcome on the Water Taxi at no additional charge.
The free Route 773 shuttle will operate with 18-passenger vans between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8:40 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. on weekends. On weekdays, customers can call 1-866-261-3278 in advance to request off-route trips within the designated DART zone around the West Seattle Junction.
There will be a community celebration for the new season on Sunday, April 29 from noon to 2 p.m. at Seacrest Marina Park. There will be music, family activities, and free rides on the Water Taxi all day.
More Water Taxi information is available on Metro Online at http://transit.metrokc.gov, or by calling 553-3000 (TTY 206-684-1739). Once the season begins, Water Taxi passengers can receive information about the current operating status of the boat by calling 205-3866.
