New tool puts ferry ETA just a click away

Now there are no excuses to be late for winter holiday celebrations. Washington State Ferries (WSF) today launched a new feature that provides customers the estimated time of arrival (ETA) for vessels throughout the system.

ETA data is available at the bottom of the WSF VesselWatch page. The system calculates ETA based on a vessel’s current location, departure terminal and destination. It compares the GPS and historical sailing data to the record of similar vessels at similar locations along the same route. Factors such as weather and marine traffic conditions can affect the ETA calculations.

"I can’t wait for customers to try out this new tool," said David Moseley, assistant secretary for Washington State Ferries. "It’s just one more piece of information that we can provide customers when they plan to take the ferry."

This new ETA feature joins the customer Web-based toolkit, which includes VesselWatch, Best Travel Times and Terminal Cameras.