BC Ferries is ready to tackle the peak travelling season with changes to their system.
The ferry-line announced this morning that its peak season kicks off this Victoria Day Long Weekend, and the summer sees the highest demand for service in the year.
Last summer saw over 9 million passengers and 3.7 million vehicles carried on-board between May 15 and September 2.
Vice-President of Engineering Stephen Jones says they expect similar or greater demand this year.
“Especially given the volumes we’ve already seen in recent weeks with more Canadians taking their vacations locally, it’s going to be busy,” said Jones.
“We saw record-breaking passengers on Easter Weekend and carried 7,000 more passengers this Easter Weekend than last year’s, and that’s with one large vessel less in operation.”
Jones says factors like aging vessels and terminals, and rising demand adds to the pressure for this summer.
To prepare, the ferry-line has implemented several initiatives to not only improve service reliability and customer experience, but to also meet demand.
This includes refitting 21 of their 37 vessels, adding over 1,000 round trips across major routes including one for Tsawwassen to Departure Bay, hiring over 600 staff members, adding more pet-friendly options with outer deck pet areas on five vessels, over 350,000 saver fare spaces for off-peak travel, and more improved sailing schedules.
While there will be challenges, Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing Lindsay Matthews ensures they are prepared as possible to serve customers.
“Our focus is making the most of the capacity we have. Our goal is to smooth out peak congestion and improve the overall travel experience by managing demand more strategically.
For this summer, they encourage you to book in advance, travel on a different, less busy route, either use the bus or walk on board, arrive 45 minutes early, and try to travel in the early morning or late evening.
