Date:
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Contact:
Susan Harris-Huether, Customer Information Manager, 206-515-3460
Anacortes-Washington State Ferries will be introducing its new electronic fare collection system to Anacortes/San Juan Island ferry customers on Tuesday, October 24, 2006. This means that frequent user ticket books, for both car and driver and passengers, will not be available after October 23rd. The ticket books will be replaced with a bar-coded, scanable multi-ride card, carrying the same amount of rides and the same discount as the frequent user books as well as the same 90-day expiration date.
"Frequent user tickets for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands will be accepted at the Anacortes Terminal until their expiration date," says Traci Brewer-Rogstad, Director of Marine Operations. "We want this transition from our old point of sale system to our new electronic system to be as easy as possible for our customers."
Frequent user books for Anacortes to Lopez Island, Shaw Island, Orcas Island or Friday Harbor on San Juan Island will not be available for purchase from the Island Terminal Agents after October 23. However, the multi-ride cards will be available from kiosks at each terminal (except Shaw) as well as through the Internet (www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries) and at the Anacortes Terminal tollbooths. Inter-island ticket books will still be available at Island Terminals but not at any kiosks, at the Anacortes tollbooths or via the Internet.
With the introduction of Wave2Go, single full fare tickets will be available for pre-purchase up to seven days in advance, a first for Washington State Ferries. All other tickets, except for inter-island tickets, will also be available on the Internet and at kiosks at the terminals. This includes senior/disabled tickets, as well as multi-ride passenger and vehicle/driver single fares and multi-ride cards. All tickets purchased via the Internet can be printed at home on a personal printer and scanned at the tollbooth or at a turnstile.
"With the capability of advance purchase, we expect that customers will spend less time at the tollbooth purchasing fares," adds Ms. Brewer-Rogstad. "The multi-ride passenger card can be shared by a family or group traveling together. The car and driver multi-ride card can only be used by one car per sailing."
Frequent ferry users will also have the opportunity to sign up for an automatic Revalue for their multi-ride (frequent user) car and driver and passenger card. This means that as a multi-ride card expires or a customer uses all the rides, the card will automatically revalue with the next five rides for a car and driver card and 10 rides for a passenger card. It also allows a customer to put a hold on a card if it is lost or stolen and then be re-issued a new card with the remaining rides.
Ferry system staff will be in the Anacortes Terminal from October 18-23 to show customers how the system works prior to the official launch. Staff will also be available for a week after the launch to help customers adjust to the new system.
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