1:44 PM: Metro has finalized the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s plan for this spring/summer: -Friday/Saturday late-night service resumes April 19 and continues through October 11 (last run from downtown will be 10:45 pm) -No service the weekend of April 13-14, to get ready for the season -‘No late-night sailings Sundays through Thursdays, including after-evening events at Lumen Field or T-Mobile Park’ Also coming up this summer, midday Water Taxi service for Vashon – which previously only had service during am and pm commutes – will be added starting July 1st, with funding from the state. That sche ..read more

(Friday photo, sent by Carolyn) Last Friday, one of the two main King County Water Taxi vessels went out of service after a small engine fire, as reported here. We asked Metro today about the status of that vessel, M/V Sally Fox. Spokesperson Al Sanders told WSB this afternoon, “The engine fire on the Sally Fox was caused by a loose oil line to a turbocharger. The fire was small and the damage was superficial. Repairs have been made to the Sally Fox and the Marine Division is awaiting USCG approval to operate.” That was potentially expected by day’s end today, although the Water Taxi Watch tra ..read more

(Photo sent by Jonathan) 8:37 AM: Thanks for the tips about the SFD response to the West Seattle Water Taxi dock at Seacrest. SFD says there were “no signs of active fire” so it reduced what was initially a large response. (Added: Photo sent by Carolyn) 8:49 AM: All SFD units have left the scene. Metro says West Seattle Water Taxi service is canceled for the rest of the morning. The Sally Fox is still at Seacrest, its doors open. (WSB photo) 9:05 AM: The crew won’t comment on what happened; the original dispatch was for a possible engine-room fire. We’re checking with Metro management for comm ..read more

(Texted photo, looking toward downtown from Admiral this afternoon) 4:54 PM: Metro wants riders to know: “Thick fog is lingering in Elliott Bay this evening. The King County Water Taxis will be operating at reduced speeds while fog is present. Delays are likely.” The most recent West Seattle run was only six minutes later than scheduled, according to the real-time tracker. 5:25 PM: The National Weather Service has issued a “dense fog advisory” alert in effect through noon tomorrow (Thursday). Visibility could be as low as a quarter-mile. Share This ..read more

Going to Monday night’s Seahawks game? Metro invites you to travel by water: On December 18, 2023, the West Seattle Water Taxi will be running extended service for the Seahawks game against Philadelphia. In addition to the regular service, the following departures have been added: Departs Pier 50 to West Seattle/DepartsWest Seattle to Pier 50 7:30 p.m./8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m./9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m./10:00 p.m. 10:45 p.m./11:00 p.m. The Water Taxi Shuttle (Routes 773 and 775) will be in service for the added sailings to get you from the dock to the West Seattle Junction and the Admiral District after ..read more

2:42 PM: From Metro: “Service for the King County Water Taxi is suspended until further notice as law enforcement responds to an incident at the Water Taxi Terminal at Pier 50.” That’s the downtown dock that serves both West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi routes. More info to come. 2:46 PM: Haven’t yet found out what the “incident” was, but Metro just sent another alert that Water Taxi service has resumed. 3:13 PM: Still trying to sleuth the “incident” – SPD says it wasn’t them. Share This ..read more

Though the West Seattle Water Taxi was originally scheduled to be out of service tomorrow for the Veterans Day observation, Metro has added late afternoon and evening runs so Sounders FC fans can get to and from the playoff match vs. Dallas. The schedule can be found here – it starts with a 4:30 pm trip from West Seattle, and ends with a 10:45!pm trip from downtown. No shuttle bus, though, so you have to find another way to and from Seacrest. And Metro is still planning to keep the Water Taxi (and shuttles) entirely out of service on Saturday. Share This ..read more

The West Seattle Water Taxi‘s 2 pm run was delayed a bit today, and the explanatory alert was terse: “Crew of the Doc Maynard rescuing a barge that was adrift along the Seattle waterfront.” We asked Metro spokesperson Al Sanders for more info, and here’s what we received: (Photo courtesy Metro) Preliminary details from MV Doc Maynard Capt. Dan Krehbiel: The Doc Maynard, a King County Water Taxi, was en route to Pier 50 from Seacrest Dock at approximately 1 p.m. when the crew spotted a fully loaded container barge dangerously adrift from Pier 18 near Harbor Island, headed across Elliott Bay. W ..read more

As we first reported on September 3rd, Metro plans to continue seven-days-a-week West Seattle Water Taxi service through the fall and winter again this year (and beyond). County Executive Dow Constantine officially announced it today. One key point in the announcement: No Water Taxi service the weekend of October 14-15, so maintenance can be done to get ready for the winter season. Share This ..read more

Going to see Queen B at Lumen Field on Thursday night? Metro has announced extra West Seattle Water Taxi runs for the Beyoncé concert, as it did when Taylor Swift was in town: The water taxi is scheduled for six trips from Pier 50 at starting at 7:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m. and 12:15 a.m.) The water taxi will also have five trips from West Seattle starting at 8 p.m. (8 p.m., 9 p.m., 10 p.m., 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.) Again, that’s tomorrow night (Thursday, September 14th). Metro also says it’ll add “a handful of trips” on unspecified bus routes “to help me ..read more