Fare collection from passengers on the county and township Howe Island ferries was suspended in early 2020 as a safety measure to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission. When ferry crews resumed fare collection on 28 September, 2020, they needed to provide passengers with options to purchase ferry passage without making direct contact with fare collectors. That’s where Honk comes in.
Honk is an online service provided by Honkmobile.com primarily intended to help people use their mobile devices to find and pay for parking spaces. It’s the same popular service used to pay parking fees at dozens of parking lots around Kingston. Honk and Howe Island Ferry crews have adapted it so users can also book passage on Howe Island ferries.
If you’re new to Honk, you’ll need four pieces of information to use the service for the first time: email address, mobile phone number, licence plate number, and payment information. A payment method isn’t required to sign up for a Honk account but you’ll need a valid VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Visa Debit, or PayPal account to pay. You can add as many payment methods as you’d like.
There are three ways to use Honk:
Website:
- From the internet browser on your computer or mobile device, click here to book passage on the county ferry or here to book passage on the township ferry.
- Click on the appropriate fare.
- Register your account and payment method as prompted.
- Finalize your transaction and click “receive a receipt.”
- Your receipt is your ticket. Display it on your device to crew as you board the ferry.
Honk App:
- Click here to download and register the Honk app on your mobile device.
- Depending on the ferry you would like to use, search for and select either the “CountyFerry” or “TownshipFerry” zone, or use the camera on your mobile device to scan the QR code from the Honk-Tap smart sign at the ferry approach.
- Choose the appropriate fare, finalize your transaction, and click “receive a receipt.”
- Your receipt is your ticket. Display it on your device to crew as you board the ferry.
Honk Tap:
If you have a near-field-communication-enabled (NFC) mobile device and one of either Google Pay or Apple Pay, you can purchase your fare via Honk Tap without downloading or installing the Honk mobile app.
- Locate the Honk-TAP smart sign at the ferry approach.
- Tap your mobile device in the area indicated on the sign.
- Choose the appropriate fare, finalize your transaction, and click “receive a receipt.”
- Your receipt is your ticket. Display it on your device to crew as you board the ferry.
Learn more about Honk and access tech support at Honkmobile.com.
Learn about the Howe Island County Ferry at HoweIslandFerries.ca.