Kitsap Fast Ferry plans 35% weekday service cut on Bremerton-Seattle route this fall

Kitsap Transit plans to cut weekday Kitsap Fast Ferry service between Bremerton and Seattle by 35% beginning in September 2026. The schedule would drop from 20 round trips a day to 13, removing seven weekday round trips from the passenger-only route.

The change would leave riders with fewer fast-ferry options and create a substantial gap between mid-morning and afternoon departures. The exact first day of the revised schedule has not been identified.

What would change

The proposed reduction applies specifically to the Kitsap Fast Ferry service linking the Bremerton terminal with Seattle. It is not a 35% reduction in all ferry service between the two cities.

The fast ferry is a passenger-only service operated by Kitsap Transit. It is separate from Washington State Ferries’ vehicle ferry service, which provides a different connection between Kitsap County and the Seattle area.

Under the planned schedule, weekday riders would have seven fewer round trips available. The largest practical change would come during the middle of the day, when the reduced number of departures is expected to lengthen the gap between sailings.

Why the route matters

The Bremerton-Seattle fast-ferry connection is used by commuters, students, people traveling to appointments and local businesses. Removing more than one-third of weekday round trips would reduce flexibility for people who need to travel outside the remaining departure windows.

Riders who cannot use the revised fast-ferry schedule would have fewer passenger-ferry choices and could become more dependent on Washington State Ferries. The service change would not eliminate the Bremerton-Seattle fast-ferry route, but it would reduce the number of weekday opportunities to use it.

Timing

Kitsap Transit’s planned change is expected to take effect in September 2026. Public information about the plan does not identify a precise start date, and it does not establish whether the agency’s board had completed a final vote on the schedule at the time of reporting.

Until the revised timetable takes effect, the key figures for the planned change are 20 current or planned weekday round trips, 13 planned round trips and seven fewer trips overall. The reduction amounts to 35% of weekday round-trip service on the Bremerton-Seattle Kitsap Fast Ferry route.