Finferries
Suomen Lauttaliikenne, also known as Finferries, operates both ferry and connection vessel services across more than 40 routes in Finland. These connections range from short strait crossings to sea voyages. The shortest ferry trip, between Kivimo in Houtskär, is just 169 meters, while the longest route spans 9.5 kilometers, from Korppoo to Houtskär. Finferries’ iconic yellow ferries and vessels serve daily commuters, summer cottage visitors, and occasional tourists during holiday seasons.
The challenge
Some ferries operate on fixed schedules, which users can check on the Finferries website or mobile app. However, certain routes lack predefined schedules, meaning the only way to book a trip was by directly calling the ferry in operation. This made trip planning difficult for both travelers and ferry captains. The manual reservation process, often handled with pen and paper, became a significant challenge for both passengers and operators. Together with Finferries, we set out to create a more modern solution.
The solution
The new Finferries reservation system was implemented using WordPress and is powered by the WooCommerce plugin. Ferry trips are added to WooCommerce as products, with departure times as product variations. This setup leverages WooCommerce’s database and functionality for order management. Although payments are not yet processed through the system, the platform was designed to incorporate this feature easily in the future. Additionally, the reservation system includes the possibility to create simple content pages, such as user guides.
Customers log into the system using their credentials, where they can book trips for themselves and their vehicles. The web service allows users to view upcoming journeys, review their reservations, and make changes as needed. Reservation confirmations are sent to users via email and SMS through an integrated system.
Ferry captains have their own dashboard within the service. This view displays daily schedules, specific departures, and passenger details. The dashboard remains accessible even if the internet connection is temporarily lost at sea, as it can load from the browser’s cache and update once the connection is restored.
"During peak season, our captains have answered up to hundreds of calls per day. Now their stress has decreased significantly, as the reservation system has almost entirely eliminated incoming calls. They can now focus on safely navigating the vessels and are free from the distractions of phone calls and scheduling bookings."
Jussi Mäkitalo
Ferry Traffic Manager, Finferries
Results
Although customers can still make reservations the traditional way by phone, the number of calls has dropped significantly since the system was launched.
The system’s design focused equally on simplifying daily operations for both customers and captains, and feedback indicates success in achieving this goal. As additional features currently in development are rolled out, the process will be further automated, enabling the collection of valuable customer and usage data to enhance ferry operations nationwide.
