The King County Water Taxi will begin 2010 service on the West Seattle-Downtown Seattle route on Monday, April 5.
The West Seattle water taxi operates between Seacrest Park, 1660 Harbor Avenue SW, in West Seattle and Pier 50 on the downtown Seattle waterfront. The pier at Alaskan Way and Yesler Way is a new location for the downtown boardings.

The 2010 season will usher in a new vessel and improvements to the dock at Seacrest Park – including a wider, longer, non-slip gangway to meet accessibility guidelines, new concrete floats, and a change in docking orientation for safer and easier vessel docking.

“For riders, opening day for the West Seattle Water Taxi marks the return of a convenient and enjoyable transportation option. For the King County Ferry District, this season signals the start of an energetic effort to visualize the future of our water taxi service and how we can best serve our communities with water-borne transit options,” said Ferry District Chair and King County Councilmember Jan Drago. Drago’s council district includes West Seattle and Vashon Island – the two communities that the King County Water Taxi currently serves.

At the end of the first week of operation, there will be a community water taxi celebration on Sunday, April 11, from noon to 2 p.m. at Seacrest Park. The family-fun event will include face painters, craft activities, give-a-ways and refreshments. A program at 12:30 p.m. features the Lafayette Elementary School jump rope team, the Popcorns, and the school choir. Rides on the water taxi will be free all day on April 11.

“The numbers tell the story: People can’t get enough of the water taxi. Ridership on the West Seattle route has increased continuously over the past decade,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “With a rebuilt dock, a new crew, and a new boat on the run, we expect the water taxi will become an even bigger part of the transportation solution for people traveling between West Seattle and downtown.”

One-way adult fares are $3.50 with cash, and $3 if you use a PugetPass or ORCA card on the West Seattle route. The water taxi takes approximately 10 minutes to sail across Elliott Bay, and travels more frequently during weekday peak periods. Check the online schedule for more details at www.kingcounty.gov/watertaxi.

To connect with the water taxi in West Seattle, there are two free King County Water Taxi shuttles that operate between local neighborhoods and Seacrest Park. Shuttle Route 773 serves West Seattle Junction, and this year is extended to Morgan Junction midday on weekdays. Shuttle Route 775 serves the Admiral District and Alki Avenue Southwest. On weekdays, riders can also use Metro routes 37 and 53 to get to the Seacreast Park dock.

Complete information about schedules and fares is available online at: www.kingcounty.gov/watertaxi. When you visit that website, you can also sign up for the water taxi e-mail alert system that notifies passengers when sailings will be cancelled or delayed by more than 15 minutes.

The King County Ferry District is a special purpose government created to provide passenger ferry service in King County. The Ferry District’s Board of Supervisors is composed of the members of the King County Council. The King County Marine Division operates the service under the name King County Water Taxi. For more information about the King County Ferry District visit www.kingcountyferries.org.