Date: June 1, 2021
Author(s): Alexandra Weber
Abstract
Washington State Ferries’ Long-Range Plan, published in 2018, outlines the agency’s priorities for the next 20 years. One of the agency’s main goals is to improve the passenger experience for Washington State Ferry passengers. This study focuses on determining which terminals are most likely to experience poor wait time experiences, ways to measure vehicle wait times and how to most effectively disseminate wait time information to passengers in vehicles.
The Washington State Ferry (WSF) system allows passengers to drive their vehicle onto the ferry and ride with it to their destination. While a great first-last mile convenience to many, a problem arises when long lines of vehicles queue waiting for the ferry. Currently, vehicles enter the terminal holding area, pay their boarding fee, and wait in line for the next ferry to arrive. WSF is able to calculate the number of vehicles in the holding area based on ticket sales, but when vehicles queue outside the vehicle holding area, the problem of unknown demand arises. Due to this unknown demand, WSF is unable to calculate accurate wait times and convey them to passengers in an efficient manner. This project answers two questions: 1) Which of the twenty WSF terminals are most likely to experience frequent excess demand? and 2) How does the agency measure the excess demand and convey that information to passengers more effectively and equitably?
About the Project
The Washington State Ferry System is responsible for carrying millions of passengers per year in the waterways around the Seattle area. In publishing a Long-Range Plan in 2019, the agency outlined key improvements to be made over the next 20 years. One of the tenets of the plan is improving customer experience by more accurately conveying real-time wait time reports to passengers to better inform trip planning decisions. This project aims to evaluate best practices for line management and wait time analysis, both within the field of public transportation as well as external sources and review domestic transit agencies’ best practices for conveying wait time information to passengers.