The following press release was reprinted on the Gateway Ticketing website directly from the Washington State Ferry website located at the URL below:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/commuter_updates/index.cfm?fuseaction=press_releases_content&press_release_id=223
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Local Company Apparent Successful Bidder for Washington State Ferries New Fare Collection System
(Seattle) Washington State Ferries (WSF) announced today that Avanade, Inc., is the apparent successful bidder for the new electronic system for passengers to pay their ferry fares. Avanade is a Seattle based corporation, originally established as a joint venture between Microsoft Corporation and Accenture, LLP.
Avanade, is the prime contractor partnering with Gateway Ticketing Systems and Majesco Software, Inc. to provide the new system. Gateway has successfully installed 300 point of sale/ticketing systems at many locations including passenger and vehicle ferry systems on the east coast, as well as other nationwide transportation operations. In addition, Gateway has provided retail applications for amusement parks including Disneyland. Locally, Gateway has provided a similar application at the Experience Music Project (EMP). Majesco will be responsible for system integration including current WSF system applications that will be retained.
The new system is primarily focused on the improvement of the sale and collection of revenue and will be installed at all ferry terminals. The new system will offer a customer-friendly, and state of the art Point-of-Sale (POS) system with machine generated and readable tickets, passenger kiosks for convenient ticket purchases and turnstiles to collect fares from walk-on passengers. The new system will allow electronic ticketing through the Internet and streamlined vehicle ticket sales and collection, in addition to automated back office accounting and banking activities for the ferry system.
The new system will also improve the Washington State Ferries internal controls over revenue collection. It is also necessary for WSF to integrate with the upcoming Regional Fare Coordination System (Smart Card). Smart Card is a new transit fare payment method being implemented by seven Puget Sound public transit operators, including the ferry system.
WSF and Avanade will now enter into Best and Final Offer negotiations. Work on the project is anticipated to begin in late July 2004, with system testing and installation in early to mid 2005, which coincides with the expected timing of the regional Smart Card’s system integration testing.
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Created on June 1, 1951, Washington State Ferries (WSF) is the largest ferry system in the United States and the largest ferry system in the world based on vehicles carried annually (11+ million). Over 25 million people a year ride on Washington State Ferries. WSF has a fleet of 28 vessels and operates 20 terminals throughout Puget Sound, from Point Defiance in the south, to Sidney, B.C., in the north. Thousands of commuters, employers, students and commercial shippers depend on WSF every day for safe, reliable transportation across the Sound.
Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. has been providing the most cost effective automated revenue and access control systems to the entertainment and recreation industry since 1988. Gateway's client base ranges from small family entertainment centers to some of the largest theme parks in the world, making them the preferred solution. Because their Galaxy software is an open architecture, which provides the ability to use industry standard hardware and modular software design, Gateway is the leader in providing reliable, cost effective, state-of-the-art automated revenue and access control systems to the entertainment and recreation industry.
Gateway's products range from single user systems to fully automated revenue and access control systems with over 300 clients in 38 countries. As the demands for the industry change, Gateway Ticketing Systems is one step ahead of the curve providing solutions such as eGalaxy, the integrated e-commerce solution, a new kiosk solution, and continuous enhancements to their current product line. For more information on Gateway Ticketing Systems, please visit them at www.gatewayticketing.com or call at +1 (610) 987-4000.