Mayor hopes app will eliminate long ferry tickets lineups

If you're thinking of getting away from the city this long weekend, there may be an easier way to get to the Island.

Starting tomorrow, you can buy ferry tickets for the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal through a smartphone app, pay with a credit or debit card, and display the ticket on your phone at a dedicated entry for prepaid ferry tickets.

• Top tips to beat Toronto Island ferry lineups this weekend

Mayor John Tory says he wants to make it faster to get through the long lineups.

"We want to increase the number of people who buy online because this is going to help us to manage the lineups better and improve the experience of going to the island on the ferry and improve the flow of people on to the ferry."

The city will partner with Ritual, a Toronto-based digital ticketing app, for a trial during the month of August.

About 1.3 million passengers took the ferry to Toronto Island last year. This year, that number is expected to go up by about 15 per cent. 

Riders not using city website

The city first offered online ticket purchases on its website last year, but only 25 per cent of ferry riders purchased tickets online.

Tory says that's because people didn't know they could buy ahead of time, and the city website is not very "mobile-friendly".

He said increasing online ticket sales and bringing in additional park staff to help direct people through the gates will make long lineups move more quickly.

"People who have pre-purchased tickets do not need to wait in the general line," he said. "They have to go to line number nine and just present their tickets there."

Tory also hopes to get more adequate signage to direct riders to the prepaid line.

New ferries for 2018

Tory said the city will get new ferries to handle the increase in traffic and encourage more use, with the first new ferry to hit the water in 2018.

Bids are being made for the contract now, so how many new ferries the city will get will be based on cost.