FAQs: Emergency interisland passenger-only transportation services – Orcasonian

If the interisland ferry is out of service, Outer Island Excursions will provide foot passenger transportation between the islands.

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

Frequently Asked Questions:

When will interisland foot passenger services be provided?

• Outer Island Excursions will monitor the interisland ferry schedule for cancellations. If a ferry is out of service, within two hours the company will provide emergency interisland passenger-only water taxi service between the WSF served islands.
• This interim emergency service will be provided through April 15, 2025. At that time, the County expects to roll out a more complete suite of marine transportation options as part of its pilot program to host such services due to ongoing WSF service disruptions on the Anacortes-San Juan Islands ferry route.

How do I sign up for a seat on the boat?

• Riders can sign up for seats aboard the boat, see the schedule, and learn more about the program via the Outer Island Excursions website:

Where are the pick-up and drop-off locations for the emergency interisland passenger-only water taxi service? 

• Pick-up and drop-off locations for the emergency interisland passenger-only water taxi service are located on each of the WSF served islands. These locations can be found on the Outer Island Excursions website referenced above. Please note that riders are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the designated pick-up and drop-off locations. There are no public land-based transportation services available on any of the islands. 

Is there a passenger fee?

• This service is offered at no charge for passengers. Outer Island Excursions will be reimbursed by the County under their contract, using emergency funding awarded by the WA State Governor’s Office in late 2024.

How often will the boats be running?

• In the event of a service disruption to the WSF interisland ferry, Outer Island Excursions will create and broadly publish a schedule for the emergency interisland passenger-only water taxi service at designated landing sites. Service will begin within 2 hours after WSF informs the public of the service disruption.
• During service disruptions, Outer Island Excursions will make at a minimum two (2) round trips per day between the ferry served islands. However, if a service disruption begins after 1:00 p.m., the boats will make a minimum of one (1) round trip per day on that day.
• Please note that Outer Island Excursions will stop service if wind speed consistently exceeds 30 knots. They may make additional trips that are reasonably necessary to transport persons stranded due to interisland service disruption.

What is the route? Can I go directly to my desired destination?

• The emergency passenger-only interisland water taxi operates in a “boomerang,” starting and ending at the Orcas Island Ferry Terminal. It has a set route – just like the ferry schedule.
• Passengers can get on and off at any location along the route. The actual schedule will be determined based on the time the WSDOT Ferry disruption occurs. The emergency water taxi schedule will be posted on the Outer Island Excursions website: https://www.outerislandx.com/emergency-water-taxi

How many passengers can Outer Island Excursions carry at one time?

• Outer Island Excursions has different sized vessels and will be ready to accommodate the number of passengers requiring transportation on the route when the WSF interisland service goes down.

What about all the other emergency marine transportation services that were to be established with the funds from the WA State Governor’s office? 

• • Passenger-only ferry service from Anacortes to the WSF served San Juan Islands.
  • Emergency interisland passenger-only water taxi service between the WSF served islands.
  • Emergency barge transportation services between the ferry served islands.

• Each of these services will be financed with the emergency funding awarded to the County by the Governor’s office, and these services will be provided at no charge to the users as part of the County’s pilot program.
• In response to the County’s RFPs, 11 proposals were received and are being reviewed and evaluated.
• The County expects to award contracts to service providers by mid-April and open the full suite of services to the public. Further updates will be provided by the County as soon as contracts have been awarded.

For additional information regarding the emergency passenger-only interisland water taxi services, please contact Outer Island Excursions at:

For additional information from the County regarding the establishment of additional emergency marine transportation services, please contact Mark Tompkins at markt@sanjuancountywa.gov.