Kingston’s new ferry ticket kiosk cut the line-cutting. Now it needs to fix the GPS problem

The Washington State Ferries put in a new ticket kiosk approaching the Kingston dock earlier this year to help ease congestion and line cutting.

Now that the summer season is over, how did it work?

The state put in an automated ticket kiosk about a mile west of the Kingston Terminal in May. It went active in June.

Seven days a week, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., ferry riders need to get a ticket at the kiosk before heading down to the toll booth. No ticket when you get to the toll booth? You have to turn around and go get one.

Early on, people were being turned away frequently. The kiosk ran out of automated tickets due to a supply chain issue, and there was some confusion and anger.

But as the months went on, most people got the hang of it.

“I think the regular riders of that route have really gotten the hang of the system and really understand what its purpose is and why it’s there, but the biggest issue that we’re facing is those very infrequent riders,” Washington State Ferries spokesperson Kurt Workman said.

The goal going forward is how to improve the system and how to get those infrequent users up to speed.

“Part of the solution on our end really has to be improving the signage, making sure that it’s very clear to folks that if they end up on that wrong path, that before they turn into the booth, they already understand that, ‘Oh, this isn’t the way we’re supposed to go,'” Workman said.

Your GPS might be skipping the ferry ticket line

One of the issues the state is facing is trouble with third-party apps and GPS systems.

“Those apps are taking people around the queuing line, not letting people know about the queuing line so they end up at the terminal,” Workman said. “They get to the booth. The booth attendant tells them, ‘No, you have to go back up the hill and get a ticket.’ And understandably, that’s a very frustrating experience.”

The state is working with those providers to make the experience better.

“We’ve been doing a lot of outreach with the app developers and the companies themselves,” Workman said. “Lots of outreach with Google and Waze and Apple. We have made progress with Google and Waze. They’re working on helping direct people a little better.”

Apple is still a work in progress, but it is working with the state on this issue.

The seven-day-a-week ticket requirement ends in early October. Tickets before the booth will only be required on weekends until next summer season.

When that happens, Workman said the state will do a deep dive on what went well and what didn’t.

“After Oct. 12, we are going to really sit down and evaluate,” he said. “How did it work? Did it accomplish the goals that we set out to accomplish? And what can we do to make it smoother for everybody, even those folks who are very rarely traveling through Kingston? How can we make sure the signage is very clear, and the roadway markings are very clear?”

The other question is whether this kiosk system can be expanded to other docks, like Edmonds or Mukilteo, because this system did prove several things in Kingston.

It did cut down on traffic idling in downtown Kingston, and it did cut back on line cutting.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

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