— from Peter Bohr —
To:
Bob Jarman
Rick Hughes
Jamie Stephens
Dear County Councilmen,
At my behest, the Islands Sounder and Orcas Issues each recently published articles regarding the ongoing thefts of multi-ride cards on the Washington State Ferries. Hopefully, you read the articles and are aware of the situation. But a brief recap:
Rides are somehow stolen from the five-ride cards after purchase even though the cards never leave the possession of the purchaser. WSF does not require the cards to be shown at the Anacortes terminal; WSF only requires that the driver verbally give the attendant the number of a valid card. This suggests that somebody inside WSF or outside the organization is hacking the WSF computer system to obtain the numbers.
I lost three rides in one month, costing me nearly $100. Since publication of the articles, I have been contacted by a half dozen or so other riders who also have lost rides. After talking to ferry attendants at the Orcas terminal, I learned that this has been an ongoing scam since at least December. And after making a report to the Sheriff and talking to officials at WSF, I learned that they are well aware of the thefts.
Yet, WSF is unwilling to make any compensation to riders who have been victims of their hacked system. Worse still, there’s seems to be no resolution of the problem. Requiring riders to present the multi-ride card – or at least a facsimile – would be one obvious solution. Until then, I am unwilling to purchase a card, which makes riding the ferry, especially in high season, costly.
It would seem appropriate that county council members follow-up with both the Sherriff and WSF to see that there is some resolution.
Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to the courtesy of your replies.
There is a simple solution. A bar code has to be read at the ticket booth. Presenting a number to the toll taker should not be permited. It is very difficult to copy a card without the five ride pass holder not permiting the scaned card to be created. Wave 2 Go autorecharge cards should not be purchased. until WSF addresses this problem.
Several times I have had to send my children or husband just the 18 digit number to a five ride card or a passenger card. I appreciate the ability to do this when we have been in a last minute pinch. Now that we all have smartphones, we have been able to take a picture of the ticket and text that to each other. However, if for some reason one of us does not have a phone then the last resort option is to give the ticket agent the long list of numbers. I would hate for this option to go away because a a couple abusers. Seems like maybe a better solution is to show ID or have some kind of signature required.
Thank you Peter for keeping this issue in the public eye, and not letting up. Hopefully all who use 5 rides will keep track of their use, and not hesitate to report to WSF and the sheriff’s department if they have any suspicions of misuse.
The electronic ticketing system was implemented by WSF in fact to lessen the chance of any such scams, as I understand it. It seems it has done the opposite.
Kari’s comment is so apt: WSF is sensitive to this issue for islanders, and leery of not allowing folks to use just the numbers for this very reason.
I wish the local cops would press those who have used stolen 5-rides to reveal where they got their “tickets”. I sincerely hope Mr Jarman, Hughes and Stephens will pursue this.
Requiring that the actual ticket, or a photocopy, be presented is the obvious and effective solution. To those who would find it inconvenient to be deprived of the privilege of using just the ticket number, I say: I would hate to compromise the integrity of the Wave2Go system just to save a couple of people a minor inconvenience. As long as “number only” usage is still permitted, WSF should at least record the driver and auto license numbers of the users. The thieves will not likely work this scam if they’re required to identify themselves in the process.
First, I would correct person who said “Now that we all have smart phones…..” I would have thought it was well known that an estimated 25% of Orcas residents have no access to cellular phones, smart or otherwise and just because you own one is no guarantee it will work when you need it.
Second, the practice of accepting bar code numbers for payment of fares has been an issue for a long time and is just another example of the general disregard the ferry system has for those who depend on them for travel to and from the mainland. All they have to do to at least fix the majority of the abuse is get the identity of the person using a bar code to pay for a fare.
And lastly, reporting the abuse to the San Juan County Sheriff and The Council is OK but as long as people are willing to allow their unused rides to be used for free or fee by those who pay their fare with a bar code and no card, the problem won’t go away unless the ferry system fixes it and you may have noticed the ferry system isn’t very good at fixing problems that fall in the category of “user friendly”
I TOO HAVE BEEN ATTACKED BY THE “DISAPPEARING FERRY RIDE” VIRUS. WHEN I WENT THROUGH MY DATEBOOK I COULD NOT FIND ANY OVERLOOKED TRIPS TO THE MAINLAND. I THOUGHT THERE MUST BE SOME OTHER EXPLANATION, BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THREE CONSECUTIVE TICKETS NOW. EACH HAD ONE LESS RIDE THAN I COULD ACCOUNT FOR. VERY SELECTIVE HACKING, I MUST SAY. JUST ENOUGH SO THAT PEOPLE MIGHT ASK THEMSELVES IF MAYBE THEY LENT THEIR NUMBER AND FORGOT ABOUT IT…