For the first time, the Vashon Island water taxi is running on Saturdays

It’s a new era for the Vashon Island water taxi: Boats are now running on Saturdays. The one-year pilot project has islanders excited for more service on the weekends.

Mary Beba loves the water taxi. She lives on Vashon and uses it to get to doctor appointments on Capitol Hill.

“I came back down, had a little lunch on the waterfront,” Beba said recently in-line to catch the water taxi back to Vashon Island.

But the service is not so great if she has an appointment off-island during the weekends when the water taxi typically doesn’t run.

That will change starting Saturday, Oct. 11. People can now walk or bike to Vashon Island on Saturdays with seven sailings over the course of the day.

And there's an extra boat on Friday nights leaving Pier 50 at 7:30 p.m.

Beba said she’s looking forward to it even when she isn’t seeing the doctor.

“It's great for company, and just going downtown to do an event,” she said, “like a soccer game or the museum or just the waterfront is cool.”

“We've heard, from the communications that we've had with the folks on the island, that a lot of folks, especially our essential workers, need the service,” said Terry Federer, the marine division director for King County Metro Water Taxi.

"They're not only working during the week, but they're also working during the weekends," he told KUOW.

Federer said Metro expects hundreds of riders on Saturdays, especially during sports games.

Jerry Troka lives on Vashon and is excited because his Saturday trips to Seattle just got a lot faster.

“Yeah, otherwise I have to drive over on the other ferry,” Troka said.

Like Beba, Troka depends on the taxi to get to his appointments.

“Mainly to go up to Kaiser up on Capitol Hill, up to my doctor,” he said. “[It] makes it way more convenient. And senior discount: It's only $3 to come over here.”

The one-year pilot project is paid for by state funds, Federer said. Saturdays sailings will be assessed in a year to see if ridership can keep paying for service.

There are currently no plans for Sunday sailings, Federer said.