It seems like there has been a great deal of discussion about the Washington State Ferries in the media of late.

Are they or are they not part of the highways? Are they still viable?

Should they be state- or privately run?

I would just like to see a little common sense in their treatment of its customers.

On March 11, the 6:20 a.m. Bremerton-to-Seattle boat could not depart on time because a crew member did not show up.

WSF would not allow the roughly 350 walk-on passengers to sit on the running ferry where they could wait out of the weather.

Instead, they were expected to stand out in 25-degree temperatures for almost an hour.

If they went into the terminal, they would lose their place and possibly not be allowed on when the boat finally could depart.

No consideration was given to these people.

In just about any business, if you treated your customers with such disregard you would not have them for long.

For the cross-Sound commuters, especially the walk-on passengers, there is a feeling of being held hostage.

Boats pulled out and put on other runs, delays for crew issues and now standing in freezing weather?

“Thank you, sir, may I have another?” seems to be the required answer for the situation.

In a time when customer service goes a long way in justifying financial expenditure, WSF system needs to remember that hostages sometimes escape.

YVONNE HOFFMAN

Port Orchard