Headways Newsletter: April 2023
A row of five houses along Charleston Boulevard acted as Kitsap Transit’s administrative offices for the first few years of its existence.
2023 is a big year for Kitsap Transit.
Forty years ago, Kitsap County voters made an important decision when they approved a local option sales tax to fund our public transportation system. We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us for the last four decades.
This month’s Headways newsletter features the first of four deep-dive stories into our history – one for each decade of our existence. We hope you enjoy it.
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1. “All hands on deck”: The story of Kitsap Transit’s first decade
A bus passes by the West Bremerton Transfer Center in the early 1980s.
Our first decade was marked by hard work and progress. Everyone did a little bit of everything.
Over the last 40 years, Charleston Base has become the central hub for Kitsap Transit’s bus operations. But in 1983, it was an example of the challenges the agency faced in those early years – a small team faced with a lack of infrastructure and the logistics of building a transit agency from the ground up.
2. Celebrating KT’s 40th Anniversary
Kitsap Transit board members celebrate the beginning of bus service on April 1, 1983.
To mark our 40th anniversary, we plan to publish a series of stories in our Headways newsletters this year, each spanning a decade of our existence, along with historical photos, videos and an interactive timeline. Read more about the project, and how you can contribute, below.
3. Kitsap Transit assists rescue of passengers from grounded ferry Walla Walla
Kitsap Transit’s fast ferry Commander assists with the rescue of passengers from the Washington State Ferry Walla Walla on April 15. (Photo: Meegan Reid/Kitsap Sun)
On Saturday, April 15, the Washington State Ferries’ vessel Walla Walla ran aground on a Bainbridge Island beach after experiencing a mechanical issue. Kitsap Transit ferries M/V Commander and M/V Waterman helped more than 600 people evacuate the vessel and return safely back to Bremerton.
We want to give a huge shout-out to our crew, who adapted quickly to an emergency situation and handled the transfer of passengers safely and professionally, as well as the rest of our team who assisted with the rescue.
4. Summer fast ferry schedule to start in June
Kitsap Transit fast ferries Enetai and Commander pass each other against the backdrop of the Olympic Mountains on January 30, 2023.
We usually begin our summer sailing schedule — which includes all-day Saturday service from Bremerton, Kingston and Southworth to Seattle — in early May. Last year, a nationwide shortage of qualified mariners forced us to push the start date into June. We’re delaying the start of summer service again this year for the same reason.
5. Pier 48 selected as preferred site for fast ferry terminal in Seattle
A graphic showing several possible locations for a fast ferry terminal along the downtown Seattle waterfront. Kitsap Transit’s Board of Commissioners voted to select Pier 48 as the agency’s preferred local alternative.
In March, Kitsap Transit’s Board of Commissioners voted to select Pier 48 as its preferred local alternative site for a passenger-only ferry terminal on the Seattle waterfront. The vote marked an important step forward in Kitsap Transit’s quest to control its own destiny: To operate schedules that meet our fast ferry riders’ needs, rather than run sailings when dock space is available.