Local

Fast ferry service from Kingston to downtown Seattle now in service

Fast ferry service from Kingston to downtown Seattle started on Monday.

It will take what could be a 70-minute commute in a car and cut it down to 40 minutes while commuters can relax on a passenger-only ferry.

The inaugural run left Kingston at 9 a.m.

Kitsap Transit bought two more passenger boats at a cost of $15 million to run the fast ferry service and expand upon its Bremerton to Seattle route.

The extra boats add more space for passengers and act as back-ups during breakdowns.

"I rode it on the very first day when it started, and they were hitting like 40-45 knots, and they made it in like 20 minutes from slip to slip on that first day and it was awesome,” said fast ferry passenger Dondi Hanson.

So far, 140,000 passengers have boarded fast ferries since their first ride in July 2017, with 128 of 2,200 sailings canceled – 60 of them because of mechanical issues.

Click here for a list of service times and to subscribe to Fast Ferry Alerts.

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP