Taiheiyo Ferry Launches “Smart Boarding,” in which smartphone screens serve as boarding passes and room keys. If you don’t have a vehicle, you can go to the boarding gate without any procedures.

Taiheiyo Ferry will introduce “Smart Boarding” on January 26, which simplifies boarding procedures with mobile QR boarding passes and allows passengers to unlock private rooms and women-only rooms using their boarding pass QR.

The service is scheduled to begin on January 26 for Kiso, February 24 for Kitakami, and March 13 for Ishikari.

The introduction of this service will allow those who have already received a Mobile QR boarding pass and do not have a car to go directly to the boarding gate without going through any formalities, while those who have already received a Mobile QR boarding pass and have a car can use the newly introduced car sticker ticketing machine to smoothly complete boarding procedures (those who are not eligible must go to the manned counter at the port). (Those who are not eligible for this service need to go to the manned counter at the port). (Those who are not eligible for the new system will be required to go through the procedures at the manned counter at the port.) In addition, the previously required vehicle inspection certificate will no longer be necessary after January 26, 2012.

The mobile QR boarding pass will be sent to the e-mail address specified at the time of reservation approximately three hours prior to departure on the day of boarding for those who have made a reservation online, registered on the Web boarding list at least one day prior to boarding, and made payment in advance.

In the future, the company plans to expand the coverage of telephone reservations so that mobile QR boarding passes can be used by completing advance payment and registering on the Internet.

When using this service, passengers will be able to unlock their door by holding the QR on their boarding pass over the barcode reader installed on the door of the private cabin class (suites, first-class rooms, and first-class rooms) and women-only rooms. Unlike conventional IC card keys, there is no need to return the card key when disembarking.

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