Steamship Authority Weighs Outside Review of Booking System
The ferry operator is considering an independent assessor after repeated delays to a $5.7 million reservation system overhaul.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Remote Work
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Steamship Authority general manager Alex Kryska proposed hiring an outside assessor during a technology subcommittee meeting on October 27. The new reservation system has faced multiple delays despite an initial plan for a year-end rollout.
Why it matters
Customers currently face unavailable space when booking online, by phone, or at the terminal, and those systems do not match. The problems trace back to a 1990s ticketing platform, making the timing of any replacement significant for Massachusetts island travelers.
The Steamship Authority hired Italian company E-Dea last year for $5.7 million to build the new system, which was originally slated for a year-end rollout. A partial launch for the Nantucket fast ferry is now estimated for February 2027, and the developer is still fixing bugs.
The players
Alex Kryska
Steamship Authority general manager who proposed hiring an outside assessor to review the reservation system project.
E-Dea
Italian company hired for $5.7 million to create the new Steamship Authority reservation system, which also serves Caledonian MacBrayne ferries in Scotland.
Steamship Authority
Public agency that operates ferry service between Cape Cod and the Massachusetts islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
The details
Initial testing revealed issues with Steamship-specific programs, including excursion tickets for Islander vehicles and freight bookings. Staff are working with a recovery timeline, and the authority has connected with other ferry services that use the same E-Dea system, which has reported significant problems in Scotland.
Timeline
Last year: Steamship Authority hired E-Dea for $5.7 million.
October 27, 2026: Technology subcommittee meeting where an outside assessor was proposed.
February 2027: Estimated partial rollout for the Nantucket fast ferry.
Remote Work
The Steamship Authority's delays mirror the launch problems Caledonian MacBrayne ferries in Scotland reported after adopting the same E-Dea reservation platform. The episode shows how dependence on a single vendor's software can carry over setbacks across separate transit systems.
Travelers booking Steamship Authority ferries should expect continued booking mismatches between online, phone, and terminal channels until the new system is fully live. Allowing extra time and confirming reservations directly before travel can help avoid being stranded without space.
The takeaway
Dependence on a single reservation platform can leave customers exposed when its rollout stalls, so confirming bookings across channels helps protect travel plans. Independent review of large technology contracts can surface problems before public launch.
What happens next
The Steamship Authority board is expected to weigh more testing before the Nantucket fast ferry partial rollout targeted for February 2027.
Further reading
For related coverage of how digital booking and workplace systems are changing, see Remote Work in Massachusetts.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 105.7 WROR.
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