The newest Captain in the Water Taxi family!

Officer on deck! West Seattle Water Taxi riders already recognize deckhand Nick Williams, and know him for his great sense of humor and unflappable and easygoing attitude. Get ready to salute, though. Nick recently received his captain’s license from the United States Coast Guard, and last week started driving the West Seattle route as a…

Metro shuttle bus for water taxi

Water Taxi Shuttles – making West Seattle more accessible

The open secret in West Seattle’s Junction and Alki areas is that the Water Taxi provides free shuttles to connect riders to the dock for your quick cruise across Elliott Bay. Last year nearly 126,000 riders used the shuttles for commuting, sightseeing, and sometimes both! The Water Taxi provides two routes in West Seattle, operating daily…

Water Taxi MV Doc Maynard in drydock for its warranty inspection Sept. 16, 2016.

Check up for the Doc: Water taxi back to work after warranty inspection

Hard to believe, but it’s already been a year since the MV Doc Maynard first launched. When a milestone like that comes up, it’s time for an important checkup. Last week passengers again rode the MV Spirit of Kingston to and from West Seattle, while the Doc Maynard was temporarily out of service in drydock…

Pier 50 with many passengers waiting to board as others exit the Water Taxi.

Ridership is up, marking another great summer on the Water Taxi!

September is here and as summer fades into fall, we wanted to take the opportunity to thank all our loyal riders who enjoy and support the King County Water Taxi. Over the last three months (June through August), both the West Seattle and Vashon routes continue to see strong ridership.  The West Seattle route had…

Artist Leo Berk selected for new Water Taxi Terminal

Our friends at King County 4Culture put together a great write-up this week about artist Leo Berk, selected to provide the permanent art for the future Water Taxi terminal at the new Colman Dock. Artwork will serve as a welcoming gateway, a visual indication that a uniquely Northwest journey and experience is about to begin,…

Marine Division Director Paul Brodeur gestures as he directs two people on the Seattle Pier 50 water taxi dock, with the water taxi in the background.

Water taxi funding part of upcoming county budget

Water taxi riders know there is strong ridership and continued demand for service on both the Vashon and West Seattle routes. Paul Brodeur, director of King County’s Marine Division which operates the service, spoke with Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Editor Anneli Fogt about the upcoming funding decision needed by the County Council. The County Executive will…

Leslie Brown on the dock, water taxi in the background

Water taxi rider: Car-free commute is society at its best

By Leslie Brown A couple of years ago, as I was sitting on the water taxi on my way home to Vashon, I struck up a conversation with a couple from England. As it turned out, they didn’t plan to set foot on the island. They were taking a sunset cruise on the water taxi,…

Riders walking onto the water taxi from the dock.

Water Taxi ridership continues to climb

The evening water taxi sailings to Vashon continue to set ridership records. On July 26, we carried 241 passengers on the 5:30 p.m. sailing from Pier 50. This surpasses the previous record sailing – 237 – on a commute day set just a few weeks ago. West Seattle also has seen a rise in commuter…

Thumbnail of Seattle Times Sketcher story

‘Seattle Sketcher’ rides the Water Taxi

We had a recent celebrity sighting on the West Seattle route of the Water Taxi! The Seattle Sketcher (aka Seattle Times artist Gabriel Campanario) played tourist for a day with his family. He shares the souvenirs of his trip with readers at the Seattle Times via “Seattle’s quite perfect for a Staycation.” We’re in the…

Julia and Hannah are the Water Taxi summer interns helping make sure riders have the information they need for smooth sailing.

Summer interns help connect Water Taxi riders with info for smooth sailing

Meet Julia and Hannah, our Marketing Interns for this summer! Hannah is from Arkansas and studies Economics and Psychology at Kenyon College in Ohio. Julia is from Auburn, Wash., and studies Marketing at the University of Washington Tacoma. Through this internship, Julia and Hannah wish to gain marketing experience by applying the concepts they have…