We are heading into the last long weekend of the summer, with BC Ferries travellers bracing for a busy few days.
Multiple sailings between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island were already filling quickly early Friday morning.
On the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay (Vancouver to Victoria) route, all but the 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. are seeing standard vehicle space completely full, with remaining deck space dwindling.
For the Tsawwassen to Duke Point (Vancouver to Nanaimo) run, every sailing scheduled on Friday saw under 20 per cent of vehicle capacity remaining.
On Thursday, BC Ferries held a media availability regarding long weekend travel, saying it was prepared to keep up with the demand.
“So we’re ready to go. We’re hoping British Columbians have heeded the message, which is, if you don’t have a reservation, we’re encouraging people to find alternate ways to get on board. Take transit, carpool, get dropped off and walk on. Essentially, if you don’t have a reservation, you will find it a very challenging experience,” said the company’s CEO Nicolas Jimenez.
The Labour Day weekend is the final of three long weekends of the summer, with the last two telling very different stories at BC Ferries terminals.
Over the Canada Day long weekend, numerous sailings were cancelled or delayed, causing frustration among passengers. Some people reported being stranded after unsuccessfully trying to navigate the travel chaos.
The B.C. Day long weekend, however, was a different story, with no major delays or issues reported from the travel company.
Heading into what he considers a crucial long weekend for the ferry company, one Vancouver Island mayor is hopeful things run smoothly this weekend.
‘This is very much a test for them’: Nanaimo mayor
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog says given the relatively successful long weekend in August, he’s hoping to see a repeat in the days ahead.
“There is always a level of tension around long weekend travel. It’s one of the reasons that most of us who live on the island stay on the island on long weekends. We don’t go the other way,” he told CityNews.
“This is very much a test for them. This is the time to make it two out of three for the positive, not two out of three for the negative.”
Krog says he recognizes the challenges that BC Ferries has faced with staffing challenges and maintenance issues with some of its vessels. He says he hopes the company will be looking to make some long-term fixes to both issues.
“Many of us have argued for years that BC Ferries should be building all of their boats in British Columbia because if we had done that and we’d maintained a viable ship-building industry, it would be easier to get ships repaired in the place that they were made,” he explained, adding he’d like to see further steps taken to keep employees happy.
“It’s a real challenge, I know, for every employer. But these are good jobs and they’re important jobs. They’re jobs that should make people feel good about what they’re doing every day.”
Krog’s community is also seeing service from a new ferry player, Hullo, which offers high-speed travel between the downtown cores of Vancouver and Nanaimo. However, the service got off to a rocky start, cancelling most of its inaugural sailings due to weather and mechanical issues.
“We’ve all been very excited by the arrival of Hullo. In fairness, they had a few rough days, pardon the nautical pun, a bit of stormy weather. But overall, I think in the long haul, they’re going to be an incredibly valuable and viable service,” he said.
“A few glitches do not mean the story is not going to end well.”
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source & photo : CityNews
