Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet - Return of The Mosquito Fleet

Return of The Mosquito Fleet

Occasionally there is talk of restoring the Mosquito Fleet, which in modern parlance has become known as the "passenger-only ferry," although it appears not much has come of these ideas, as they seem to be dependent on public funding or subsidies. (This would not have been unusual for the first Mosquito Fleet, as in the beginning, for example, mail contracts were sought as a means of support for the vessels.)

Some movement towards this may be happening. In August 2007, the city of Kingston received a $3.5 million grant from the federal government to cover at least some of the costs of building a terminal and a passenger-only ferry between Kingston and Seattle.

In April 2007, a county-wide Ferry District was formed in King County to expand transportation options for county residents through passenger ferry services. The King County Ferry District (KCFD) is the governing body and the district board is composed of all nine members of the Metropolitan King County Council. On July 1, 2008, the KCFD took over the operations of two existing passenger ferry services and is planning up to five new routes.