PORT TOWNSEND — A later ferry sailing will be added June 17 as part of the revamped summer schedule, making it easier for people to enjoy a night out on the town at either end of the Port Townsend-Coupeville route.
“People want to stay out a little bit longer and be able to get home,” said Assistant Transportation Secretary David Moseley, addressing the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
“We want to give this a try this summer to see how well it works.”
The new schedule adds a 10 p.m. sailing out of Port Townsend and a 10:40 sailing out of Coupeville.
Currently, the latest sailings are 8:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., respectively.
Like many state agencies, the ferry system has seen its subsidies shrink.
Moseley said the expanded schedule didn’t require more revenue — it was accomplished by eliminating a midday sailing to coincide with the shift change.
About 50 people came to hear Moseley address the chamber meeting, which he does about twice a year.
He also previewed a new reservation system, which will also roll out on June 17.
Called “Save a Spot,” it will allow passengers to reserve a spot on the ferry online by opening up to three types of accounts.
The Executive Account, geared toward commercial riders, requires an active Wave2Go business account with WSF. The Premier Account, which is now available for Port Townsend-Coupeville reservations, requires an active ReValue vehicle multiride card for the route, and you must store credit-card billing information in your reservations account.
The Universal Account requires only an email address and a password.
The system will benefit customers because they will be guaranteed space on the sailings of their choice and also help the system manage its ridership.
“The new system will allow us to manage our growth,” Moseley said.
“We aren’t able to build more vessels and add sailings, so this will help us judge customer demand.”
Customers can make reservations on the Port Townsend-Coupeville and Anacortes-Sidney routes beginning on June 13 for sailings on June 17 and up to six months in advance.
Moseley said the system will eventually expand to all WSF routes aside from Mukelteo-Clinton and the two Vashon Island ports, due to the short duration of those sailings.
For more information about the Save a Spot program go to http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/Planning/SaveASpot.htm
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
