Ferry riders are being asked for their ideas in a survey about how Washington State Ferries could change customer’s methods of paying fares to better integrate the system with highways and transit, while improving the customer experience.
 
The Washington State Transportation Commission’s survey will be completed by Nov. 20. The commission will report to the Legislature the survey results, providing data about the opinions and preferences among customers who interact with the ferry system in different ways (frequent vs. infrequent riders, walk-on vs. driver etc.) across all WSF routes.
 
The commission earlier completed an assessment to identify the current system’s ridership characteristics, fare payment options, and challenges for integration with other public transit systems and highways. Options were developed to change the existing fare payment methods. These options could potentially include expanding the use of the regional transit ORCA card to pay for more WSF fare products, such as discounted multi-ride cards, and allowing Good To Go! transponders to be used to pay vehicle ferry fares.
 
The second phase of the study is now under way and will ensure that all interested ferry riders have an opportunity to participate and have their voice heard. To take the survey, go to: www.FerryRidersOpinionGroup.com
 
Survey Analytics of Seattle is conducting the survey for the commission. The survey asks ferry customers for information about how often they ride the ferries, where they typically ride, and what types of fare products (monthly passes, single ride tickets, multi-ride cards etc.) their household uses. Customers are then asked how likely they would be to use potential different methods of payment, such as transponders or household accounts, and reservations systems were they available in the future.
 
For more information on the survey or the Washington State Transportation Commission, please visit:  www.wstc.wa.gov