Washington State Ferries

Washington State Ferries

MV Tacoma at Colman Dock in Downtown Seattle
Locale	Washington
Waterway	Puget Sound, Salish Sea
Transit type	Ferry
Owner	Washington State Department of Transportation
Operator	Washington State Department of Transportation
Began operation	June 1, 1951 (1951-06-01)
No. of lines	10
No. of vessels	21
No. of terminals	20
Daily ridership	40,100 (weekdays, Q1 2025)[1]
Yearly ridership	19,148,800 (2024)[2]
Website	wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries

Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. The routes are designated as part of the state highway system. WSF maintains a fleet of 21 vessels that are able to carry passengers and vehicles.

The ferry system carried a total of 18.66 million riders in 2023—9.69 million passengers and 8.97 million vehicles.^[3] WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States and the second-largest vehicular ferry system in the world behind BC Ferries.^[4] The state ferries carried an average of 40,100 per weekday in the first quarter of 2025.^[1]