The top Kitsap Transit stories of 2023
Here at Kitsap Transit, we love list season. December is a perfect time to catch up on all the albums, movies, TV shows, and local news about your favorite mid-sized transit agency you may have missed over the past 12 months.
Lists are arbitrary, of course, but we think we had a pretty good year. Here are the top Kitsap Transit stories of 2023:
Sunday Service Returns
Route 217 travels down Washington Avenue in Bremerton.
On September 24, 2023, Kitsap Transit operated buses on Sunday for the first time in over a decade. It’s been a long road to get back to this point after Sunday service was suspended in 2009 during the Great Recession, and we’re thrilled that we can provide this service to our riders once again.
Right now, Sunday service operates in Bremerton only. Our plan to restore Sunday service around the county is still underway, but the timing is dependent on hiring more bus operators. We’ll share more news on the Sunday service rollout when we have it.
If you or someone you know is interested in a career in transit, visit kitsaptransit.com/drive.
Kitsap Transit’s 40th Anniversary
Kitsap Transit bus service began on April 1, 1983.
Kitsap Transit was formed in 1983, meaning we’ve been operating for 40 years! Isn’t math neat?
Throughout 2023, we celebrated four decades of Kitsap Transit. We recommend checking out our feature series about each decade and our public transit timeline. You can also take a look back through our social media pages for historical photos posted (almost) weekly.
Forty years is a big milestone, and we couldn’t have done it without support from the Kitsap community and our customers. Thank you for riding! We’re excited to serve you for the next 40 years.
Ferries rescue passengers from grounded Walla Walla
The Commander approaches the Washington State Ferry Walla Walla on April 17, 2023 (Kristin L. Raught photo).
On April 17, the Washington State Ferries (WSF) vessel Walla Walla ran aground in Rich Passage after contaminated fuel caused a generator to fail and the ferry lost steering and propulsion controls.
Kitsap Transit, working in conjunction with WSF, mobilized its local and fast ferry Commander and local ferry Waterman to assist with the rescue of passengers. Over the course of the night, the two vessels made four round trips between the Walla Walla and the Bremerton Ferry Terminal, transporting a total of 610 passengers and crew.
Kitsap Transit’s operations department staged buses at the Bainbridge Island and Bremerton Ferry Terminals to help passengers returning from Seattle or coming from the Walla Walla to get home. The rescue was a full-team effort, and we’re incredibly proud of our staff who jumped in to help resolve the situation safely.
Building the fleet of the future
This year, we took delivery of six new battery-electric buses and installed a bank of charging stations at our Charleston Base to service them. We have dozens more of these buses on order and anticipate having a fleet of 30 (between our Routed and Worker/Driver programs) by the end of 2024.
But that’s not the only way we’re lowering our carbon footprint. We’ve also invested in R99, a renewable biofuel made from algae, for a portion of our fleet. Our entire ACCESS fleet is now made up of propane-fuel buses, and our newest transit center in Silverdale will feature inductive in-ground charging stations to charge electric buses while they wait.
We’re committed to reducing our impact on the environment. You can read more about how we’re building our fleet of the future on our blog.
Capital projects make good progress
An aerial view of the Silverdale Transit Center Construction site on Ridgetop Boulevard.
2023 was a big year for Kitsap Transit capital projects.
Construction continued on the Silverdale Transit Center, which is expected to open in 2024. We selected a preferred site for a fast ferry terminal in Seattle and asked the public for input on a new Port Orchard Transit Center and a local ferry maintenance facility. The Federal Transit Administration also published a preliminary design report for an all-electric fast ferry that is being proposed for the Seattle-Bremerton route.
We’re also working on new park and ride lots in Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island to improve travel options for our riders.
Capturing our ferry fleet
Kitsap Transit’s ferry fleet sails through Elliot Bay on August 6, 2023.
Social media was set abuzz on a Sunday afternoon in early August when a few astute observers noticed Kitsap Transit’s entire ferry fleet sailing in formation in Puget Sound.
This year, for the first time, we set out to capture high-quality photo and video footage of our growing ferry fleet. The goal was to document the fleet and produce materials for our future communication needs.
The shoot was a success! You can read about how we planned the shoot on our blog, or watch the final promotional video on our website.