An overhaul to the Steamship Authority’s aged and often criticized reservation system will likely take several years, raising concerns with boat line leaders who said it needs to become a top priority.

The Steamship board of governors this week learned that the chances of a new reservation system before 2026 grow increasingly remote, and it will likely require broad organizational changes across several departments. 

“I think 2026 — my sense is that is going to be aspirational,” general manager Robert Davis said at the Steamship’s board of governor’s meeting Tuesday. 

The backbone of the Authority’s passenger vehicle operations, the existing reservation system dates back to 1997, and its sole owner is inching towards retirement. 

The system, which tourists and Islanders alike use to book spots for their cars aboard the boats, has had a series of breakdowns in the past. Vineyarders continue to complain that, at times, they will see space on the ferries after the reservation system tells them ferries are full.

“The current reservation system — and I spend enough time with people in the terminals looking at the screens to know — there are a lot of errors in there that continue to require more work,” said James Malkin, the Vineyard’s board member.

The Steamship Authority last year vowed to bring on an outside review to help with its technological issues. Since then, the boat line and its information technology consultant, the Belmont-based Gibbous LLC, have done preliminary work on the types of companies that could build a new reservation system, and looked at the functions a new system would need. 

The board could approve a request for proposals later this year, potentially sending an RFP out in October. But any changes to the system will also result in tectonic shifts at the company. 

“It’s going to be a big lift to move from how it works today to how it works in the future,” said the Steamship’s information technology consultant Thomas Innis. “You’re going to go through a technology transformation, but also need to be thinking about a business transformation.”

Mr. Innis estimated that the software for the new reservation system could take up to three years and would cost between $1 million and $3 million annually — accounting for about 20 per cent or 30 per cent of the total project. 

The Steamship Authority would have to beef up its network, hardware and training to support a more robust reservation system. The process of scheduling freight, which is currently done manually, would also have to change in a new system. 

Several officials said they wanted to learn lessons from the boat line’s efforts to create a new website. Set to come out in September, the planned new website has outgrown its initial deadlines and passed its budget. 

Mr. Malkin feared that if that project, a smaller undertaking, was caught in so many snags, it could be worse for the reservation system. 

“I am concerned that it is going to require a lot of project management and oversight from existing staff and additional staff,” he told the Gazette. “The process needs to be accelerated and the process needs a lot more consistent focus across the organization.” 

Technology has been an Achilles heel for the Steamship Authority for years. Opening day for vehicle reservations was delayed several weeks earlier this year due to server issues, and Mr. Innis previously said the Steamship owes a heavy “technology debt.” 

With an RFP process approaching, Falmouth board member Peter Jeffrey urged the board to dedicate staff and resources towards getting the project done right.

“This has to be a top priority, after actually having the vessels run between the Islands, because I see our current reservation system — it’s a rotting ship where we keep on pumping bilge,” he said.