WATER TAXI AND THE NEEDLE. The Water Taxi will run through October this year, and should run year round by 2010 under the county's new water division.
<b>Photo by Patrick Robinson</b>
Despite dreary spring weather, the Elliott Bay Water Taxi is off to a strong start, registering a 17 percent increase in riders over last years record-setting pace.
The downtown-to-Seacrest Park run served a total of 29,340 riders since opening its 2008 summer season on April 27.
"The continued strong increases in ridership show that the Elliott Bay Water Taxi has become an important and valued commuting option for West Seattle residents," said Dow Constantine, member of the King County Council. "We face years of difficult commutes due to the impending Highway 99 corridor construction, and we must look to providing West Seattle residents with as many convenient transit alternatives as possible."
Ridership was particularly strong on weekends with Saturday passengers up 38 percent and Sunday up 47 percent. Special boats for Mariners games also reported strong use.
In the summer of 2007, the Water Taxi carried a record 161,331 passengers. Both of the past two seasons have registered annual increases of over 32 percent. It is expected that with the arrival of warmer weather and continued high gas costs that the Water Taxi will continue to break previous records.
This is the first year the Elliott Bay Water Taxi has been paid for by the newly established King County Ferry District. This has allowed the county to use the previous funds to continue to expand bus service throughout the county. The Ferry District plans to move the Elliott Bay Water Taxi to year-round service in Spring 2010 with improved docks and boats.
The fare for the Elliott Bay Water Taxi fare is $3 for anyone over the age of 5. Passengers with a valid Metro transfer pay just $1. Also accepted for full fare are PugetPasses, FlexPasses, Metro Access Passes, Visitor Passes, Vanpool Passes, Saturday/Sunday Day Passes, and Regional Reduced Fare Permits with a valid monthly or annual sticker.
The 2008 Water Taxi season runs through Friday, Oct. 31.
For more information on the Elliott Bay Water Taxi, call 553-3000 (TTY 206-684-1739) or go to www.kingcounty.gov/metro. Riders can check on the current operating status of the Water Taxi by calling 205-3866.
