The Operational Problem
St Kilda Ferry runs services where schedules, passenger numbers, and trip types can shift quickly. The business needed a reliable digital operating layer that could support everyday transfers, weather-sensitive operations, and special-event cruises through one system.
The platform had to do more than sell tickets. It needed to forecast passenger demand for one-way and return travel, adapt to weather disruptions, keep ticketholders informed, and remain flexible enough to handle products like Penguin cruises and New Year's Eve fireworks cruises.
Why Off-The-Shelf Failed
Standard booking engines could process basic tickets, but they did not handle St Kilda Ferry's operational complexity well. They lacked practical return-trip forecasting logic, weather-response communication workflows, and dependable real-time syncing with Shopify POS inventory controls.
What We Engineered
Programmable Soda developed a custom timetable and scheduling system tailored to ferry operations. We implemented ticketing and inventory logic that forecasts likely return-trip demand, helping the team make better allocation decisions across departures. Because weather directly affects service delivery, we also built communication workflows to keep ticketholders informed when return services may change. The system was designed to support multiple cruise products, including Penguin cruises and NYE fireworks cruises, without creating separate tools for each product line. A custom Shopify integration now syncs live website booking data with Shopify POS so availability remains accurate and cruises are never oversold.
Systems Integrated
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Custom Timetable and Scheduling EnginePurpose-built service management for ferry departures and special cruise events.
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Passenger and Return-Trip ForecastingInventory logic estimates return-trip demand to improve capacity planning decisions.
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Weather-Dependent Ticketholder CommunicationsOperational messaging workflows support service updates when weather affects return travel.
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Live Shopify Website-to-POS SyncCustom Shopify integration keeps online bookings and POS inventory aligned to prevent overselling.
Business Outcome
St Kilda Ferry now operates with a more controlled and scalable ticketing workflow across core services and event cruises. The team can manage inventory with stronger forecasting confidence, communicate more effectively during weather-related changes, and run multiple cruise products through one flexible platform without overselling capacity.
“The system gives us far better control over scheduling, inventory, and customer communication when conditions change.”
