February 2026 Updates and Answers from WSF

SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA February 20, 2026 - Recent discussions with WSF at the County's monthly SJC Ferry Advisory Committee meetings and during WSF's own Community Meetings of January 21,2026, have provided some County-specific information to highlight:

• The Anacortes terminal building is in the queue for a "facelift" and the study for this has begun.
• Preliminary work is starting on getting the vessel Chelan re-certified for “Safety of Life at Sea” (SOLAS), which includes Coast Guard waivers to be able to make international trips in protected waters; plan for the Sidney run is still for 2030 when an additional vessel is available.
• Governor Ferguson's ask of the legislature for ferries includes $150M to refurbish the oldest vessels: the Tillikum, Kaleetan, and Yakima. This is in addition to the $1B for three vessels above the current 2+ under contract. Refurbishing the older vessels will allow WSF to keep them in service even after the first three new vessels arrive to gain ground in the fleet.
• Missed vehicle allotments on Lopez during disruptions has been addressed by operations.
• There has been no policy change eliminating cash payments. In limited situations (for example, online or kiosk), cash isn’t an option simply because those channels require electronic payment, but in-person ticketing continues to accept cash.

• Confirm that 3% credit card cost recovery fee will stay the same in the updated ticketing and reservation system (TRM). The 3% credit card cost recovery fee is not changing with the TRM project. TRM does not change fare policies or procedures, it’s just modernizing the technology that supports ticketing and reservations.

• Anacortes Terminal Camera: The broken camera has been replaced, and the view on the website should look normal again!