BC Ferries website goes down within hours of province announcing end of travel ban
Just as the province announced people could resume recreational travel around B.C. as of June 15, the BC Ferries website began crashing, and its call centre was inundated.
As of early Monday evening, the site still had a message that read “currently unavailable.”
Replies to customer inquiries on social media indicated the company had seen a lot of web traffic, and customer service representatives suggested people try calling back on Tuesday, if they didn’t need help right away.
BC Ferries executive director of public affairs Deborah Marshall said the issue was a “technical glitch.”
“I think a lot of customers did check out our website,” she said. “(We) just don’t know the root cause of that problem just yet, but (we are) actively working on it.”
The website includes travel schedules and a reservation booking system. Throughout the pandemic, government-related websites have been known to crash due to sudden spikes in people trying to make reservations, after weeks or months of lockdowns and restrictions. For example, last summer Parks Canada websites crashed when too many people tried to book camp sites at the same time.
Marshall said that beginning Tuesday, ticket agents will no longer have to ask ferry customers the reason for their trip. She said the full summer ferry schedule, which includes hundreds of extra sailings, will come into effect at the end of the month, though there is the ability to add sailings to the major routes before then “if the demand presents itself.”
Passengers will also be able to remove their masks outdoors at the ferry terminals, though face coverings are still mandated while on board the ships for now.
Tourism Vancouver Island president and CEO Anthony Everett said the restriction being lifted is “exciting” and something that “everybody’s been waiting for.”
“Bookings have been happening here on the island in anticipation,” he said. “I spent my morning talking to many businesses that are excited about the opening, but want people to be aware that they can’t offer the same level of service that they were (offering) prior to the pandemic.”
Everett said that’s because of an “acute” staffing shortage, which was an issue prior to Covid-19 as well, but has only gotten worse.
“Everybody needs to travel with a degree of patience,” he said, adding that some of the bigger resorts and hotels might be particularly challenged when it comes to food services, and may need to curtail their menus or hours of operation.
Everett said one kayak operator who used to employ more than 40 people is now down to about 12, and the bulk of its business used to come from international travellers.
“Ultimately the tourism industry needs to get back to welcoming people from around the world,” he said, and added the lifting of the restriction is an important first step in the industry’s recovery. “I firmly believe that this is going to take us years, if not a decade or more, to be where we were.”
Everett said there are still a lot of places around the island with room for bookings, and he’s encouraging people to try visiting somewhere new for that much-awaited change of scenery.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.