Regarding the Journal story on Aug. 5, 2015 about FlexFerry, a privately operated reservation system for our Washington State Ferries, I think we should all be concerned about a number of things.
The current ferry reservation system is not perfect, but it does work. Now, in order to avoid being out-maneuvered by a web-bot, we would be forced to use the new private site, a site in which the public has no say whatsoever. And all because Michael Murray almost – but not actually – missed a boat while on vacation.
The most disturbing problem with FlexFerry is the built-in ability to buy and sell ferry reservations. To develop a mechanism to facilitate what amounts to scalping and say “It’s not the same thing as scalping” is really just mincing words. If you create a market to buy and sell ferry reservations to the highest bidder, it is scalping – or just simply the black market.
How much extra is that reservation worth? Is it $1, $10, or $100? Taking the ferry is already expensive, and now we have to compete with visitors and even our own neighbors for the highest price? This site follows in the footsteps of so-called jerktech companies like ReservationHop and ParkingMonkey, where you bid for the highest price for things that used to be, and should be, free.
Many island residents rely on the ferries for their livelihoods. If someone misses that important delivery because someone else triple-booked their vacation plans just in case, or they couldn’t afford to pay the reservation “ransom,” then the purpose of having a reservation system in the first place has been defeated.
I’m pretty sure that Mr. Murray has the best intentions, but his website adds an unnecessary level of complexity to our ferries, inadvertently hijacks the current WSDOT site, creates a highest bidder market for reservations, and potentially negatively impacts those who rely on the ferries the most. By creating this site, Michael Murray will have effectively privatized the ferry pricing scheme for our – very public – ferries. If this isn’t illegal, it should be.
Jason Murnkes
Friday Harbor
