In Review: County’s Marine Transport Services Pilot Project

SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. July 22, 2025 – After 10 weeks of service, the County’s Marine Transportation Services Pilot Project is complete. These services included emergency barge and foot-passenger transportation during disruptions to Washington State Ferry (WSF) service as well as travel to and from the mainland (Anacortes) on a daily basis. Each of these services was provided at no cost to the passengers, subsidized by the County’s emergency funding awarded by the Governor’s Office.

During the July 15 Council meeting, staff reviewed data from the project including ridership statistics, contractor feedback, and next steps.

“I want to thank our contractors and our staff for all they did to make this project possible,” said Council Chair Kari McVeigh. “I look forward to gaining additional insights as we continue to gather data that will support ongoing conversations about transportation needs in our islands.”

Daily Passenger Service

San Juan Safaris provided seven-day a week, twice daily passenger-only transportation service to Friday Harbor, Orcas, Lopez, and Anacortes. During the length of the project, San Juan Safaris reported transporting 2,399 passengers, 114 pets, and 465 bikes. The top three reasons for travel included recreation/leisure, traveling to/from work, and traveling for appointments, including medical needs.

Emergency Services

Outer Island Excursions provided emergency interisland passenger service when the Washington State Ferries experienced disruptions. During the length of the project, Outer Island Excursions was activated for 9 days and competed 12 round trips that transported 127 passengers. The top three reasons for travel included getting home, traveling for work, and receiving medical care.

Pintail Marine was on stand-by to provide emergency barge service should the Washington State Ferries experience significant service disruptions. This service was not mobilized.

Contractor Feedback

The contractors involved in the project provided valuable feedback about increasing communications, addressing the availability of dock space, and the desire for a structure schedule for emergency transportation routes. Contractor feedback will continue to be gathered and added to a final report.

Questions or Feedback?

Do you have questions or feedback about your experiences with the County’s pilot project? We’d love to hear from you! There are two ways to engage:

Take the survey! The County is interested in your experiences, feedback, and ideas and is hosting a short, 10-minute follow-up survey to evaluate the project and consider adjustments for potential future services. Survey link: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-emergency-transportation-services/surveys/follow-up-survey-san-juan-county-marine-transportation-services. The survey will be live through August 17, 2025.
- If you were a passenger on one of the routes, we'll be reaching out directly with a survey link. We’d love to hear more about your experiences using the service!
If you'd rather use the ‘Feedback’ tool on our website to provide general comments on the pilot project, feel free to access it at any time here: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-emergency-transportation-services?tool=qanda#tool_tab

Next Steps

County staff will continue to compile and analyze data from contractors and passengers to develop a final report. For a complete list of information about the County’s pilot project to establish marine transportation services, please visit: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-emergency-transportation-services

Questions? Contact: Mark Tompkins at markt@sanjuancountywa.gov.

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