Washington State Ferries: Service will be restored 'slowly, one route at a time'
Washington State Ferries is moving toward bringing back sailings that were cut last month as it struggled to staff its vessels, but it appears it will take some time for the agency to get back to its previous service levels up and down Puget Sound.
Speaking to the state Senate’s Transportation Committee Monday afternoon, WSF Assistant Secretary Patty Rubstello, the agency’s head official, pointed to new agreements with employee unions that would allow the agency the flexibility to move crew members from vessels that are tied up for maintenance or because of lack of crewing to other locations where they are needed. Prior to those agreements, she said, deck crews stayed assigned to a particular route and engine room staff would stay with a particular vessel.
“We now have the ability to move people around where we need it the most,” Rubstello said. “Our strategy right now is to utilize that flexibility to return service first in Anacortes-San Juans and incrementally bring service on to these other routes.”
Rubstello said she hoped that the agency would be able to pilot the new staffing approach this week. Her presentation noted that service would be restored “slowly, one route at a time, ensuring we can reliably do so before adding the next route.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/washington-state-ferries-service-will-be-restored-slowly-one-route-at-a-time/ar-AAQMKMp