KINGSTON — Passenger-only ferry service between Seattle and Kingston begins Tuesday.
It will be the first ferry service between the two communities in decades.
The 94-foot, 250-passenger Aqua Express, a renamed former state ferry vessel, did free demonstration runs between the two communities last week.
Regular service, costing adults, seniors and children over the age of 1 $5.25 each way, begins from Kingston at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and from Seattle at 6:20 a.m.
Service will be Monday through Friday, with three morning sailings and two afternoon departures each day from the Kingston Marina, with two morning sailings and three in the afternoon daily from Piers 55-56 in Seattle.
Thursday and Friday’s free demonstration runs of the Aqua Express, both the name of the ferry and the private Seattle-based company running it, drew about 400 people each day.
Commuters and joyriders alike enjoyed a free ride, free food and free coffee.
“It’s a historical moment for Kingston,” said Kingston community activist Sally Christy, who documented her first ride with her digital camera.
“I hope it changes things in a positive way.”