The pile of papers on my desk could avalanche at any moment and crush my good pal Josh, so I better write some of this stuff so I can throw it away. There are a couple Washington State Ferries items that have been buried here for awhile.
The agency – and specifically Susan Harris-Huether, Sandra Gee, and Jean Baker – received a 2011 Commuter Challenge Diamond Award for supporting a rideshare program that sends vanpoolers and carpoolers to the head of the line and gives them fare discounts. Those incentives have led to 172 vanpools and 67 carpools using seven ferry routes. For example, 19 vanpools travel on the 4:20 p.m. weekday sailing from Fauntleroy. That’s 22 percent of the ferry. Ridesharing reduces congestion and air pollution besides making sure you get a spot on the boat.
Vessel service reliability awards
In 2010, six ferries lost no trips from mechanical failure, and their staff chiefs, engine room crews and Eagle Harbor crafts received Reliability Awards. The boats were the Elwha, Evergreen State, Klahowya, Puyallup, Tacoma and Tillikum.
This year, WSF introduced a new award, the “Fleet Achievement Award,” given to the vessel with the best overall performance as measured by numerous criteria in addition to no missed trips. The winner was the Klahowya, which serves the Fauntleroy-Vashon Island-Southworth route. It made 12,475 trips, operated 338 days, ran 2,858 hours; traveled 35,604 nautical miles and never missed a scheduled trip due to mechanical failure.
