Ferry Reservations: Working out the Wrinkles

“We’re here to listen to you”

 — by Margie Doyle —

Orcas Islanders at Ferry Reservations Meeting

Washington State Ferry (WSF) representatives heard islanders’ complaints about the ferry reservation system, now two months old, at a well-attended meeting at the Orcas Senior Center last week. WSF representatives Brian Churchwell and Dwight Hutchinson met with County Councilman Rick Hughes and about 48 Orcas citizens on Friday, March 13 to discuss their concerns, including:

• reservation holders being being stuck at end of lines and not getting to the toll booth within the 30-minute “reservation guarantee” time;
• technology failures affecting ferry employees’ ability to communicate with each other and the public;
• hard-to-manage website;
• inadequate, inconsistent training of WSF toll booth staff;
• bottleneck at “tag shack” where cars are directed to holding lanes;
• need for islanders’ priority accommodation;
• difficulties for commercial vehicles’ scheduling;
• inadequacies of assistance for the disabled;
• toll booth time being eaten up by informational conversations;
• the lack of “roving/personal” WSF staff when lines become extended;
• difficulty in making multiple reservations;
• the necessity to use credit cards;
• the change in lifestyle required by a reservation system.

Most concerns came with a suggestion as to how to improve the situation, either from the public or from WSF staff or Hughes:

• reserve the spaces for over-height vehicles until the last minute;
• re-assess the usefulness of a year-round reservation system;
• automate information input to make staging for the ferry more efficient;
• adjust the sailing times so that commercial vehicles can do business off-island;
• refer non-ticketing, informational questions to an informational booth nearby the ticketing/staging areas;
• laminate the printed reservation bar code and present to the toll booth so WSF ticket-takers can reference your account.

Hutchinson and Churchwell pledged to improve the processes. They also said that of a survey of 5,000 who’d used the online reservation system, 10 percent reported difficulties with it. Churchwell fielded repeated complaints that credit cards were required, responding simply that credit cards accounts were required to make reservations.

AT the ferry reservation meeting, from left: Brian Chruchwell, Rick Hughes and Dwight Hutchinson

Hughes pointed out that with the Tacoma still removed from the sailing schedule since it broke down last summer, the San Juans are one boat short, impacting the new reservation system. He announced that the newest ferry, the 144-car Sammamish, will be christened in Anacortes on May 20. It will then undergo sea trials, and is expected to be in operations dedicated to the San Juan Islands’ run by mid-July.

Currently, the county is in negotiation with WSF for a new Orcas terminal in the building across the landing from the Village Store and also a five-acre parcel above the landing for a parking lot. That parking area may also provide such amenities as rental cars and charging stations, Hughes added.

Churchwell and Hutchinson promised to take the concerns and suggestions so that the systems can be adapted for better use this summer. “We’re not going to leave a system that doesn’t work; we’ll change it,” they said.

One of the immediate goals is to make sure nobody is in line for more than 30 minutes before going through the ticket booths. Hutchinson asked that people help improve the flow by providing data — writing down or taking a photo of when they arrive at the ferry queue, and noting when they proceed through the toll booth. If the time is more than 30 minutes, he asked to be contacted at 206-515-3652.

As volume goes up, the plan is to open all four toll booths in Anacortes. They also plan to add manpower at the tag shack where cars are directed into the staging lines at the parking lot by adding more manpower and eventually by automating the staging process from the ticket booths. They explained the process of staging as an “orchestrated Tetris game.”

When asked if businesses such as resorts were allowed to reserve “blocks” of reservations, the WSF men said that they would monitor any apparent efforts to reserve blocks and pointed out that the schools most often “block” reservations in order for students to attend athletic events off-island. Hutchinson also repeated Rosario Resort General Manager Christopher Peacock’s reaction when asked if they would make ferry reservations for their guests: “Are you crazy?”

Boiled down, islanders emphasized the need for expedited lines through the ticket booths into boat staging; improved communication from WSF toll booth and reservation staff; and increasing stand-by spaces, from the current 10 % to 20 or 25%.

The WSF spokesmen took note of the concerns and responded that they would be considered in the near-term planning for reservations. In particular, Dwight Hutchinson asked that people call him to inform him of their problems with the reservation system. His number is 206-515-3652, Bob Gamble, Orcas ferry agent, also asked people to call the WSF ferry landing office at 376-6253 with questions and concerns.

When asked who besides WSF and the State Legislature were responsible for decisions about the San Juans reservation route, it was explained that the local Ferry Advisory Committees and the Ferry Community Partnership were involved. It was noted that the public is frequently asked to serve on such committees.

There will be two meetings this Wednesday, March 18 to further discuss the reservation system:

• the Ferry Advisory Committee will meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Legislative Conference Room
• the Ferry Community Partnership will meet from 11:30 to a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the Friday Harbor Yacht Club. Comments from the public will be taken during the last 10 minutes of this meeting.

Orcas members of the community partnership include:

• Mike Aley
• Lance Evans
• Tony Ghazel
• Wally Gudgell
• John MacLeod
• John Poletti
• Margot Shaw
• Mike Stolmeier
• Larry Vandermay

Members of the San Juans FAC include:

• Orcas — Rick Hughes, Larry Vandermay
• Lopez –John Whetten
• San Juan Island — Jim Corenman, Deborah Hopkins, Pat McKay
• Shaw — John Brantigan