The Steamship Authority is preparing to adopt new reservation and ticketing policies that will affect virtually everyone who uses the ferries that connect Cape Cod with the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
As proposed under the boat line’s True North strategy and technology initiative, the policies are designed for the upcoming new reservation system, said information technology consultant Thomas Innis of Gibbous LLC, which is guiding the project for the Steamship Authority.
“The new system has some built-in constraints … and so we need to make sure that we’re aligning our policy with how it’s going to work,” Mr. Innis told the Steamship Authority board of governors, port council and executive staff at a joint workshop in Falmouth Tuesday.
The new reservation system and policies are intended to reduce the often-cited problem of trips with no bookings available, that nonetheless depart with empty spaces on the freight deck, he said.
Achieving this goal, however, will require motorists and freight shippers to change the way they have booked passage aboard the ferries for many years.
Adapting the new reservation system to keep the old policies would pile significant additional expenses onto an already costly project, Mr. Innis said.
“There’s a lot of trade-offs with every policy decision,” Mr. Innis said.
A pair of public forums at the Tisbury emergency services building Thursday, beginning at 3 p.m. for freight shippers and at 5:30 p.m. for other travelers, will give Islanders a first-hand look at the proposed changes.
Motorists who make reservations at times they would prefer not to travel will no longer be able to join an unlimited number of waiting lists in an effort to get another booking: The new policies allow no more than five waiting lists in total, whether before or after the reservation.
The proposed policies also do away with open tickets, requiring drivers to cancel reservations for trips they can’t make instead of postponing them indefinitely.
“We want people to pick the trip they actually want to take,” Mr. Innis said.
Other proposed changes affect standby tickets, which will be tied to specific trips rather than remaining eligible all day, and the way the Steamship Authority assigns room on its freight decks.
Currently allocated by a system of “spaces,” all vehicles will be assigned based on their actual length in linear feet.
Freight customers face a streamlined lottery system for preseason bookings and a schedule of cancellation penalties that would replace the current system of advance deposits, Mr. Innis said.
Nat Lowell, a Nantucket trucker who represents his island on the Steamship Authority port council, pressed back forcefully against the freight proposals.
“We’re going to have to look at this a little bit more realistically,” Mr. Lowell said, arguing that the increasing cancellation fees would unfairly limit shippers’ flexibility.
Even foot passengers are included in the proposed new policies, which would do away with all paper tickets.
Gift cards, currently available only in physical form, also would go digital under the new system, which is expected to be up and running in 2027.
In addition to the in-person Vineyard forums Thursday, Mr. Innis also will lead two sessions Friday at the Steamship Authority headquarters in Falmouth, for shippers at 9 a.m. and the public at noon, and two at Nantucket’s Dreamland Jan. 27, for shippers at 3 p.m. and the public at 5:30 p.m.
A virtual connection would be available for the Falmouth meetings at https://bit.ly/TrueNorthtownhall.
The Steamship Authority and port council are also considering another joint meeting on the proposed policies on Feb. 3.
Editor's note: this article has been updated with information about the Falmouth reservation meeting and a proposed joint meeting next month.
This article appears in January 23, 2026.
This is 2026. It is deeply frustrating and almost embarrassing to hear a company claim that a programming option for a multi-million-dollar expense is “constrained.”
It’s just a complex database! We have been using them for decades worldwide. If you want it, get it done. If they won’t do it, hire someone else.
The policy changes make sense and simplify a messy reservation system. Why muck things up with unending complex database changes now and going forward. Keep it simple, as my dad used to say.
As an IT person I just have to laugh and cry….
What is wrong? Who is running this circus?
There is no way that this has to be happening… come on??
My 10 year old could set this up…
Keep physical tickets!.
Switching everything to digital will compound issues. Believe it or not, there are segments of the population that don’t use smartphones.
Agree
I agree, too. Also, Is the new reservation system going to be designed from scratch again (how did that work out for us last time, resulting in the THE MOST antiquated web site to deal with on the web)? A quick Google search says that There are approximately 190 to 200 distinct ferry operators or companies managing services in the United States, servicing over 350 to 600+ routes. Did the Authority ever call the other systems and ask what reservation software they are using and were they happy with them? Why re-invent the wheel and use coders who have never done that kind of work before and don’t have practical experience in the application?
Exactly, Peter. Best practices, anyone?
Strongly agree: Keep paper tickets.
If open tickets are no longer allowed, does this mean we will get a refund? Often people choose an open ticket because getting refunded for a trip you no longer need is not offered. We also deserve clarification on the changes to standby tickets. Does this impact the Blue Line?
I had the same thought as I was reading — if they do away with the option for open tickets, then they must refund the ticket. Open tickets right now only exist because they refuse to refund after 24 hours, not because anyone likes an open ticket – that is a problem entirely of their own making (shock of shocks).
That is just what I was thinking. If they want to eliminate open tickets, they have to refund the unused reservation. I would think that would make better accounting sense. When circumstances change, you don’t always know when you want to travel or even if you still need to travel.
So, the software is driving policy? Get ready for the unintended consequences.
If people have questions, concerns or want to understand the proposed policy changes in the reservation system, they need to go to these meetings! Posing questions in comments won’t get answers or explanations from Innis or the SSA!
They’re letting calendar pressure dictate strategy, resulting in a ‘minimum viable product’ that sounds too minimal to be useful to the end user.
I’m not too averse to the elimination of “open” tickets if the SSA would change its refund policy to include full refunds closer to sail date. Sometimes stuff happens and you have to cancel a planned trip at the last minute (sick, bad weather, last minute work issues).
Keep the paper tickets! Also, when going off island for appointments and such we usually can’t say exactly what time we will get back to Woods Whole.
Vasha, if you have a doctor’s appointment off Island, you can get a letter from the doctor’s office and when you present it in Woods Hole they will put you on the next boat.
Without a larger State (doubtful Federal) intervention on the operations of the SSA, we are effectively on a sinking ship. The inability to “self govern” within the SSA management, let alone board of directors is blatantly evident. All of these lovely gazette articles are informative, timely and transparent, and yet due little to nothing outside of educating us all further of the train wreck that is the SSA. Either we buck up and get loud or I’m afraid, it’s time to get the life jackets out…
The reservation system should be designed to accommodate the needs of islanders. Life happens, plans have to change. The reservation system should allow plans to change and space to appear as available to the next user. If we can’t open the ticket, a full refund should be the alternative. A full refund should’ve been an option in the first place.
Doing away with open tickets is another cash grab. Islander’s will end up paying one way rates when you don’t have a precise return time, which happens often in auto repairs and medical emergencies.
If there are no physical tickets at least they will be able to save money by not investing in any new ticket facilities going forward……
the only reason I ever get an open ticket is because I can’t get the boat I want. As far as no paper tickets, someone already pointed out that some people don’t have smart phones or don’t want to do financial transactions on them. Only electronic tickets opens the door to more “glitches” there are so many things that can go wrong… not to mention that this is clearly discrimination against Luddites. And how much would that save them ?
Agree Amy. However, i think SSA needs to have more “citizen” meetings and ensure they are hybrid. It would also be helpful if before the meeting SSA ensures public communication clearly outlining ALL proposed changes. I just made these suggestions on the SSA website comments section and I suggest people make their voices heard there too, regarding additional meetings at different times and all hybrid to ensure everyone has the opportunity to understand the changes and provide feedback. SSA needs to get this right, after that scathing IG report and millions of dollars wasted & I hope there is some regrouping going on at the SSA operations level and the BOD oversight level. This is customer service 101.
While the article states a couple of times that none of these decisions have been made – they are recommendations of the consultant and the vendor – most comments here seem to assume policy has been set.
Amy is correct- go to the meetings to be better informed and give feedback that will be heard.
I’m hoping that there will be more discussion and chances for the public to see this new system. My assumption is this won’t go into effect until next year. Just because they completely botched the last roll out doesn’t mean they should be allowed to fast track this one. As far as the tickets issue what is there plan if someone doesn’t have a phone, or what happens if my phone says I have a trip left but the scanner says it’s already been used? There are a host of questions that need to be answered and investigated. If this goes south it won’t be management that has to deal with the consequences.
I don’t have a cell phone, what do I do?
The elimination of paper tickets is not well thought out at all. There are people who don’t have smart phones or may not have a cell phone at all. Even if you have a smart phone, you are out of luck if you don’t have it on you. I am not going to be forced to buy an expensive smart phone just to take the Steamship ferry to the Islands. Will have to consider taking the Island Queen or other means to visit the Islands if this ridiculous idea takes place.
Why can’t we just switch to “First come first serve”?
Sorry, but you’ll be keeping paper tickets. You realize as a (quasi-)government agency, you have to accommodate all passengers. That means paper for those without “smart” phones and who simply don’t want to give you their phone number or e-mail address. You can’t require it, you will accommodate it.
As a 2-3 day commuter off and on Island, I rely heavily on the waitlist system, since it is pretty rare that I can get my weekly resevations on the first try. These changes will be super tough for me to absorb, making a difficult commute even more difficult. Tough to hear after all of the misshaps of the last few years. Hope they change their minds.
WE NEED PHYSICAL TICKETS – don’t have “smart” phone!
No paper tickets is fine just provide name at the gate and go. Simple.
Plans change. This leaves almost no flexibility when reservations have been made- but need to be modified. Yes, a full refund should be one of the new policies if changes that are required to be made last minute and new plans are not known yet.
Or – you could change to another date just to keep the reservation and then change again when new plans are solid. Unfortunately this will result in an additional fee. Looks like a bit of a money grab. Aren’t the fares high enough already?
“Even foot passengers are included in the proposed new policies, which would do away with all paper tickets.”
Hmmm, what will the new, shiny TICKET OFFICE in WH be used for if there are no TICKETS!?
Open tickets are often required for sudden change of plans such as medical situations, unexpected auto service needs, or family emergencies. I hope the elimination of this will be reconsidered. As a year-round resident I personally have had to use open tickets not out of choice but out of necessity.