Starting this spring, folks heading onto the Keystone-to-Port Townsend ferry will have new ways to buy their tickets.

Washington State Ferries is instituting a new Electronic Fare Collection System that officials said offers greater convenience for riders, especially those who regularly use the ferry.

The pilot system at Keystone should be ready by the end of April, said Susan Harris, spokesperson for Washington State Ferries. The new system was supposed to have been introduced this month but employees are still ironing out the bugs, Harris said.

The new collection system allows riders to purchase their ferry tickets online and print them out at their home computer. The new tickets will have barcodes that riders can scan when they arrive at the ferry dock. In addition to buying them on the Web, the new tickets can be purchased from the ticket booths and from kiosks in the terminal.

Harris said the new system will be especially useful for commuters who frequently ride the ferries. Frequent riders can purchase their 10-ride ticket packs or monthly passes online. By having a credit card linked to their ticket card, they can automatically purchase more tickets when riders use up their previous purchase, Harris said.

“There’s a lot of convenience,” Harris said. “Our goal is to get sales out of the toll booth.”

In addition to providing more convenience to commuters, the electronic fare collection system will help resolve findings from the state Auditor’s Office.

The state agency wants Washington State Ferries to implement an automated system designed to reduce cash handling at toll booths.

“It gives us more accountability for our funds,” Harris said.

In addition the ferries’ current system is more than 10 years old and replacement parts for equipment aren’t available.

Harris said the Port Townsend/Keystone ferry route will serve as a pilot program for the new system when it’s unveiled in April. She said it’s a good route to kickoff the system because the numbers are easy to manage and there aren’t a lot of frequent riders using that route.

Once the kinks are worked out, the electronic ticketing will be introduced systemwide.