Everett's Harbor Hopper passenger ferry could return to the water in summer 2027 with more trips between the Port of Everett and Langley on Whidbey Island.
The Port of Everett and Port of South Whidbey are weighing an expanded pilot after the ferry's first season carried about 1,500 passenger trips between June 4 and Aug. 29. Catherine Soper, the Port of Everett's chief of business development and tourism, told The Daily Herald the two ports want to grow the schedule beyond the twice-a-day, Thursday-and-Saturday runs that defined the 2026 trial.
"What we're looking at, and what our gut is telling is to do, is to do an expanded pilot experience next year," Soper said in early September.
The 45-seat chartered Hat Island Ferry made the 30-to-45-minute crossing of Possession Sound. Round-trip tickets cost $16 to $20, and one-way fares ran $10 to $12. That ticket revenue did not cover fuel costs, according to Jim Pivarnik, executive director of the Port of South Whidbey.
Sponsors covered 80% of costs
Sponsors bankrolled about 80 percent of the ferry's operating costs, with the two port districts splitting the remaining 20 percent, Port of Everett communications specialist Emily Gilbert said in a Sept. 5 email. The Port of Everett estimated the ports' combined share at around $9,000.
Whidbey Telecom served as the lead "Community Connector" sponsor. Dockside partners included Fisherman Jack's, The Muse Whiskey & Coffee and Callahan's Firehouse Studio & Gallery, according to a Port of Everett announcement in July.
Pivarnik said the ferry brought tourists to Langley's small downtown without adding to the town's limited parking. He put the odds of a 2027 return at 80 percent but said the finances have to work.
"If we can all come together, port districts and businesses, I think we can keep it going … We're not looking to make money on it, but we don't want to lose a lot of money either," Pivarnik said.
Legislation stalled in Olympia
A longer-term path to a permanent ferry district hit a wall in the 2026 legislative session. House Bill 1923 (HB 1923), known as the Mosquito Fleet Act, would have allowed port districts, counties or transit agencies statewide to create passenger-only ferry service. Funding could come from tolls, parking taxes or voter-approved property taxes. Under current state law, only Kitsap and King counties can operate passenger-only ferries.
The bill passed the House 84-11 in February with bipartisan support. The Senate approved an amended version with just three votes against. But the two chambers could not reconcile the changes before the session ended.
State Rep. Greg Nance, who proposed the bill, said the Senate amendments would make it "impossible to create passenger ferry service." Those amendments required newly built ferries to be zero-emission and built in Washington, and barred new ferry districts from receiving state funding starting in 2028.
What's next
Neither port district plans to buy its own vessel or run a regular commuter service. Soper said any future expansion beyond tourism runs would need a private operator or transit agency.
The two ports plan to produce effectiveness reports on the 2026 pilot over the coming months before making a final call on 2027.
No decision date has been announced.
The ports expanded the schedule once during the pilot. Starting Aug. 1, they added a midday Saturday sailing after what the Port of Everett called "overwhelming community feedback." On the Everett side, Thursday sailings connected riders to free Music on the Marina concerts and waterfront restaurants.
