Improved state ferry reservation system in works
Ferry riders surveyedââ§
OLYMPIA -- The state Transportation Commission is surveying ferry riders this month about fares, schedules, congestion pricing, transit connections and general satisfaction.
The survey was launched last week and will remain open through April 30.
Riders can complete the survey online in three different ways:
• Members of the Ferry Rider's Opinion Group (FROG) panel should go to the FROG Web site to complete the survey.
• Riders who are not members of the panel but who want to join the FROG and participate in this and future surveys should go to the survey Web site www.ferryridersopiniongroup.com/public.
• Riders not interested in becoming a panel member but who want to participate in this survey should go to www.ferryridersopiniongroup.com/april.
To make sure the survey also captures opinions of occasional and recreational riders, a short version of the survey will be circulated on board during select ferry sailings.
To request a copy of the survey to complete at home, contact the commission at 360-705-7070 or e-mail transc@wsdot.wa.gov.
Individual survey responses will be kept confidential and will only be used for statistical purposes.
OLYMPIA -- The state Transportation Commission is surveying ferry riders this month about fares, schedules, congestion pricing, transit connections and general satisfaction.
The survey was launched last week and will remain open through April 30.
Riders can complete the survey online in three different ways:
• Members of the Ferry Rider's Opinion Group (FROG) panel should go to the FROG Web site to complete the survey.
• Riders who are not members of the panel but who want to join the FROG and participate in this and future surveys should go to the survey Web site www.ferryridersopiniongroup.com/public.
• Riders not interested in becoming a panel member but who want to participate in this survey should go to www.ferryridersopiniongroup.com/april.
To make sure the survey also captures opinions of occasional and recreational riders, a short version of the survey will be circulated on board during select ferry sailings.
To request a copy of the survey to complete at home, contact the commission at 360-705-7070 or e-mail transc@wsdot.wa.gov.
Individual survey responses will be kept confidential and will only be used for statistical purposes.
By Charlie Bermant
Peninsula Daily News
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Starting in May, Washington State Ferries will streamline its reservations system with improvements on routes where reservations are now active and then expand to all boats in the system.
State ferries system personnel unveiled the plan at a meeting Friday in the Pope Marine Building in Port Townsend.
The gathering drew representatives from Jefferson County, the city of Port Townsend, the Navy and the city of Coupeville.
"This was a good meeting," said Jefferson County Commissioner David Sullivan.
"This will improve the efficiency of the ferry system and make it easier for people to travel on these routes."
The idea of a ferry reservation system had its beginnings in Port Townsend.
"When we lost our second boat a few years ago we needed to do something," Mayor Michelle Sandoval said.
"So the ferry system allowed us to try a reservation pilot program."
It's working well
Two years later, it is working as well as can be expected, and Sandoval is proud of the city's involvement.
"We tried it here and it worked," she said. "So the ferries are going it implement it systemwide."
Sandoval said the reservation system will cut congestion and make it easier to travel to Whidbey Island.
"Taking reservations is a better idea than some of the other options that were discussed, such as building a holding area over the water," she said.
"Drivers with reservations don't have to wait in line for hours; they can just show up 15 minutes before departure and get on the boat."
The first phase of reservation improvements will be installed in May and June for the two routes where they are already used: Port Townsend to Keystone and Anacortes to the San Juan Islands.
The second phase, scheduled from July to June 2014, will incorporate reservations on all the northern routes.
The final step, from July 2015 to June 2018, will implement reservations on the high-volume commuter routes: Edmonds to Kingston, Seattle to Bainbridge Island and Seattle to Bremerton.
The state ferries system has issued a request for proposals to companies that can supply a state-of-the-art reservation system.
"The system that is in place is not robust enough for what we want to do," said Michael Hodgins, of Berk & Associates in Seattle.
"A reservation system will help keep traffic moving."
The new reservation system could be in place before the arrival of a new boat, the 64-car MV Chetzemoka, scheduled for this August.
"We want to get this done as soon as possible," ferries system spokeswoman Joy Goldenberg said.
"It will help us to make the best use of our resources."
Hodgins said that an efficient reservation system will increase customer satisfaction.
"No one is ever left on the dock at the end of the day," he said. "But if people can make reservations it will be easier for them to catch the boat they want."
The state ferries system will continue to fine-tune the idea, and will survey passengers on the affected routes.
The next stakeholders' meeting in Port Townsend will be June 11.
________
Jefferson County reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: April 12. 2010 11:57PM
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