Bremerton/Seattle: Two-Boat Test Service Effective September 23 - October 19, 2019 Beginning on Monday, September 23, Kitsap Transit plans to test a two-boat Bremerton Fast Ferry service for four weeks. Scientists will then measure beach conditions along Rich Passage to determine whether the service can operate the full summer schedule with two-boat commute service without harming the beaches. Kitsap Transit must run the test service before October 26, after which seasonal changes will make it difficult to discern the impact of wake wash from Kitsap Transit’s fast ferries. Kitsap Transit will run the two-boat test service with only two vessels -- Rich Passage 1 and Reliance. Lady Swift, a third vessel delivered recently, has been returned to the shipyard for additional work because it did not achieve all contractually required specifications. Because Kitsap Transit will run the test service with only two vessels, if either vessel needs to be taken out of service, the current sailing schedule will take priority and the sailings added on September 23 will be cancelled until both vessels are back in service. A few other notes: During the test service, four existing sailing times will shift slightly: The 8:00am departure from Bremerton will shift to 8:05am; 8:35am departure from Seattle to 8:40am; 7:10pm departure from Bremerton to 7:05pm; and 7:45pm departure from Seattle to 7:40pm.



Click Here to go to the Bremerton Fast Ferry webpage. At the top of that page is a link to the four-week test service's schedule.

To fully simulate two-boat service during this four-week test period, Saturday sailings on the Bremerton/Seattle route will be extended through October 19. The Saturday sailing schedule will not change.



The added sailings will be filled on a walk-up basis only (no reservations). If Kitsap Transit does not test the tolerance of Rich Passage’s beaches this fall, the next earliest opportunity would be next summer. Kitsap Transit has decided to run the test service this fall in order to learn sooner whether a two-boat commute service is environmentally feasible. Starting on Monday, October 21, the fast-ferry schedule on the Bremerton/Seattle route will switch to its normal winter schedule with sailings on Mondays through Fridays only. The Kingston/Seattle service will switch to its winter sailing schedule on Monday, September 30.