With a busy May long weekend arriving soon, BC Ferries says they are gearing up with extra sailings to accommodate the passenger load.
They say 430,000 passengers and 170,000 vehicles are expected between May 18 and 23. With that in mind, extra sailings are being added to three sailing routes as follows:
- 18 extra between Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay
- 11 extra between Langdale and Horseshoe Bay
- 66 extra between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, with 6 a.m. sailings on May 20 and 23
They add limited bookings are available during the weekend leaving Horseshoe Bay and travellers going stand-by are expected to see some sailing waits. The most popular days to travel are Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning, with most people returning on Monday.
They say alternate plans should be considered, such as travelling via Duke Point and Tsawwassen with your vehicle or taking public transit.
If traffic exceeds the capacity of the pre-ticketing area, stand-by traffic might be turned away asked to return later for safety concerns, according to BC Ferries.
They add that like Easter long weekend, there could be staffing issues that lead to cancellations despite 125 officers being brought on board so far this year.
To try and make travelling easier, they suggest booking in advance, arriving at least an hour before the sailing, expect waits, rideshare or take transit, consider alternate parking options and keep up on current conditions.
