Steamship Authority looks for an outside review of its reservation system

The Vineyard Gazette reported on 29 October 2026 that the Steamship Authority is looking to bring in an outside company to see if its plan to roll out a new reservation system is plausible over the next year. The work was initially aimed at wrapping up with a new reservation system this year. Issues with the existing 1990s ticketing system have been one of the largest customer complaints, and the new system has been hit with delays.

General manager Alex Kryska said at a technology subcommittee meeting: "We are looking at trying to find an outside assessor to take a look at our system, take a look at where we are now and give us some guidance on are we on the right path." An attendee at a budget forum the same day asked if the Steamship was satisfied with the system being developed by E-Dea, an Italian company hired by the authority last year for $5.7 million. Kryska said: "To be perfectly honest, we're not satisfied."

Staff are now estimating that the system could be partially rolled out for the Nantucket fast ferry in February. On the projected timeline, the other programs would all be live by November 2027. Delaying implementation could bring a little more than $800,000 in additional cost, though some of that may already be baked into the existing budget.