Date:  Friday, May 08, 2009

Contact: Marta Coursey, Communications Director, 206-515-3918

PORT TOWNSEND – Customers calling to make vehicle reservations for the Port Townsend/Keystone route have experienced unusually long waits on the phone during the past week. WSDOT Ferries Division (WSF) added customer service staff in preparation for the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge closure, but the department has been challenged with an unprecedented volume of calls since the bridge closed on May 1. Average duration of calls has also increased, as more time has been necessary to resolve customers’ travel issues.

“We are very concerned that the volume of calls we are receiving to our customer service lines is frustrating our customers, despite our best efforts,” said David Moseley, Assistant Secretary for Washington State Ferries. “We provide the option of making vehicle reservations for the Port Townsend/Keystone on our Web site. It is easy and convenient to do, and we hope customers will take advantage of the Web option and avoid long waits on the phone.”

Minimal information is required for online reservations. Customers are prompted to enter approximate length and height of their vehicle (under or over 20 feet long and 7 feet, 6 inches tall), number of passengers, driver’s name, e-mail address, and phone number. A confirmation number is sent to the customer’s e-mail address, to be presented upon arrival at the terminal.

Vehicle reservations on many sailings are filling up far in advance. Many customers have attempted to make reservations online, only to discover that their desired sailing time has no reservations available. When a sailing has no reservations available, the sailing time appears in gray, and if a customer chooses that sailing time, the “Continue” button cannot be clicked. WSF requests that customers not call customer service in this case, as there is no way to reserve space on a full sailing. Options for customers whose desired sailing has no available reservations are:

• choose another sailing
• arrive at the terminal early to see if they can travel standby
• drive around

The SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge closure has greatly increased the number of calls to WSF customer service. Vehicle reservations for the Port Townsend/Edmonds evening sailings are not available online, so WSF staff must take calls for all of those reservations. Customers are also calling for information about water shuttle, transit, and medical transport services related to the bridge closure. Port Townsend/Keystone customers are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the online option for making vehicle reservations. Port Townsend/Keystone reservations can also be made at participating businesses and visitor centers in Port Townsend and Coupeville.

For more ferry system information, please visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries. To sign up for free e-mail alerts about service disruptions and other route information, click on the link in the far left column of the Web site.

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