WA Ferries sees busiest summer in 4 years as it prepares for crowded Labor Day weekend

If your holiday weekend plans include riding a ferry, you’d better plan on crowds and lines.

According to Washington State Ferries, 400,000 people are projected to ride state ferries starting Thursday through the weekend to Tuesday after Labor Day.

This surge in ferry passengers will add to the busiest summer for the Washington State Ferry system in four years. The all-time highest ridership day ever was more than 88,000 on Saturday, July 1.

Saturday, Sept. 2 is expected to be the peak travel day during the upcoming holiday weekend. And that crowd could be that big or even bigger.

Thursday to Saturday, the busiest ferries will be westbound, toward the islands, and then Sunday through Tuesday as everyone comes back east.

WSF is encouraging everyone to get the app on their phone and prepare for a lot of company to get on the boats.

The Victoria-Seattle ferry service has also voted 100% in favor of taking a legal strike on Sept. 3, according to Unifor.

“Unless the employer shows up to the bargaining table with a fair offer, the Victoria Clipper will be anchored on one of the busiest tourism weekends of the year,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Ferry workers deserve a fair contract and will take job action if negotiations continue to stall.”

Clipper workers said they are trying to negotiate fair wage increases, adjustments to the scheduling system, and better job security.

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