PORT TOWNSEND — Beginning this week, Jefferson County residents can catch a free ride to Seattle on the No. 14 Kingston Express, a Jefferson Transit bus departing from Port Townsend in the morning and afternoon.
Tuesday will be the first day for the new route. The schedule, according to https://jefferson transit.com/14kingstonexpress:
• Morning departure 7:15 a.m. from Haines Place park and ride, Port Townsend, arriving at the Kingston ferry terminal at 8:27 a.m.
• Returning from Kingston: departing at 8:45 a.m., arriving back in Port Townsend at 9:57 a.m.
• Afternoon departure at 2:45 p.m. from Port Townsend, arriving in Kingston at 3:57 p.m.
• Returning from Kingston: departing at 4:15 p.m., arriving in Port Townsend at 5:27 p.m.
Once this holiday weekend is in the rearview mirror, the Kingston Express will run Monday through Saturday with free fare through March 31.
Riders also can obtain a free transfer for a round-trip ride on the Kitsap Transit Kingston Fast Ferry, which transports foot passengers to downtown Seattle in 40 minutes. The schedule for that boat, which runs Monday through Friday only, can be found at www.kitsaptransit.com/service/fast-ferry/kingston-fast-ferry.
That ferry, which began sailing in 2018, holds up to 250 passengers and 26 bicycles, and is rarely anywhere close to full, said Jeremiah Holcomb, spokesperson for Kitsap Transit.
The new Kingston route also connects riders with the Washington State Ferry from Kingston to Edmonds; information can be found at https://wsdot.wa.gov.
As of April 1, fares will be $8 each way on Jefferson Transit’s Kingston bus, or $6 for riders 18 and younger or 60 and older, and for people with disabilities.
The new route includes two stops between Port Townsend and Kingston: the Jefferson Transit park and ride at 63 Four Corners Road and the Gateway Visitors Center at 93 Beaver Valley Road. The bus, a Ford F-550, has seats for 23 passengers and a bicycle rack for up to three bikes.
Jefferson Transit keeps its vehicles clean using proactive air and surface purification (PASP) units, said John Bender, the agency’s fleet and facilities manager.
Those units are designed to combat COVID-19, he said, and they run whenever the bus is powered up. Passengers must wear face masks while riding any form of public transit.
The rest of Jefferson Transit’s fixed routes, which transport riders around east and west Jefferson County, became fare-free in 2020. They will stay that way for the foreseeable future, said Miranda Nash, the agency’s mobility operations manager.
The schedule and information about all transit services can be found at jeffersontransit.com and by phoning 360-385-4777.
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Jefferson County Senior Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com.
