–Submitted by Washington State Ferries staff

During the week of Jan. 15, Washington State Ferries reported that 2015 had an increase in  ridership, and the state’s oldest ferry, Evergreen State, was decommissioned.

2015 saw big jump in ridership

In 2015, we carried 23.9 million total riders, an increase of 2.9 percent over 2014 and the highest level since 2006.

The number of vehicles carried system-wide was up 2.4 percent and the number of passengers increased by 3.4 percent over 2014. Interestingly, our two smallest routes saw the largest increases. Ridership on the Point Defiance/Tahlequah route increased by 9 percent and Port Townsend/Coupeville ridership increased 8.9 percent over the previous year.

The Seattle/Bainbridge route carried the most total riders, 6.3 million people. The Mukilteo/Clinton route to south Whidbey Island carried 2.2 million vehicles, more than any other route.

All of WSF’s 2015 traffic statistics are available online.

Evergreen State

Built in 1954, the Evergreen State is our oldest ferry and will soon be put up for sale. The 87-car ferry boasts World War II surplus drive motors, and has served as a workhorse carrying tens of thousands of passengers and vehicles for more than six decades.

It has also been home to many crew members and engineers over the years and a lifeline for island communities throughout Puget Sound. This truly is a bittersweet goodbye, but with two new Olympic Class ferries in service and two more under construction, it iss time to retire the Evergreen State and focus our resources on newer, larger vessels.

The Evergreen State was originally slated for decommissioning last spring, but was called back into service over the summer while other vessels were out of service for maintenance or repairs. Potential buyers interested in owning a piece of history will be able to bid for the vessel once it is posted for sale through the state surplus process.