BC Ferries braces for busiest long weekend of the year amid problem-plagued summer
It’s all hands on deck at BC Ferries as staff brace for the busiest long weekend of the year.
The company has been in damage control for much of the summer due to delays, cancelled sailings and poor communication.
In a rare move, the company's CEO faced reporters and cameras Wednesday in an effort to reassure travellers that they can rely on the service.
“It is clear to me that we have struggled,” admitted Nicholas Jimenez. “We have challenges in our business that cannot be fixed overnight.”
The last few weeks have been a fiasco.
The company’s website has been down multiple times, incorrect information about non-existent long waits was posted online and a major vessel required repairs, leading to multiple cancelled sailings.
More than 580,000 passengers and 210,000 vehicles are expected to travel with BC Ferries between Thursday and Tuesday.
The company is promising to do better by hiring more staff and improving its website.
It’s insisting it has pulled out all the stops to ensure smoother sailing than what happened over the Canada Day long weekend.
Sailings were cancelled when the Coastal Celebration was out of service.
The corporation says all ships are in service, fitted with new seals.
BC Ferries has strict rules for customers.
Those with reservations must show up at least half an hour before their sailings.
If they don't, they lose that reservation, and the fee paid for it.
CTV News asked why the corporation isn’t held to the same standard multiple times during Wednesday’s press conference.
The questions seemed to stump the company’s top brass.
There were long pauses afterward and requests for clarification.
“Well here’s what I can tell you. In the instance…for example, when the ship is out of service unexpectedly, we attempt to move customers to a reservation very close to the one that they had,” Jimenez finally replied.
No clear answers were given, only a follow up reply that BC Ferries has an 80 per cent on time performance.
Staff shortages have been an issue for a few years now, leading to cancelled sailings.
The company says it has licensed officers on standby to jump in when needed.
It’s doing a lot of damage control over the long weekend.
Terminals are expected to have entertainment, face painting, watering stations and misting stations for those stuck waiting.
LONG WEEKEND TRAVEL TIPS
Passengers are urged to travel during off-peak times.
Historically, the most popular times to travel from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast are Thursday and Friday afternoon.
Saturday morning is the busiest for the Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay terminals.
Monday and Tuesday morning are typically the most popular times for travel back to the Lower Mainland.
Walking on instead of driving is also highly encouraged.
“Customers driving on board without a booking may experience sailing waits during peak travel times,” warned the company in an advisory.
Foot passenger bookings are available on most sailings between the mainland and Vancouver Island over the long weekend.
Parking lots fill up quickly on long weekends.
Travellers are advised to take public transit, hire a ride-share or be dropped off.
Customers with bookings should plan to arrive at the terminal 45 to 60 minutes before their sailing.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s St John Alexander
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
Flash floods in northern Afghanistan sweep away livelihoods, leaving hundreds dead and missing
The UN food agency estimated that unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have left more than 300 people dead and thousands of houses destroyed, most of them in the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of the deluges Friday.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.