WATCH: The parents of a 14-year-old Sunshine Coast boy are angry with BC Ferries over the fact their son wasn’t allowed to board a ferry. Ted Chernecki explains.
The last ferry from Horseshoe Bay to the Sunshine Coast leaves at 9:15 p.m. every day. Four days a week, 14-year-old Fynn Mansbridge is on it, returning from his fencing lessons with a nationally-trained coach in Richmond.
Unless, that is, his bus is late.
“It’s an inconvenience if I miss the ferry, it’s a safety issue if my son misses it,” says his mother Megan.
Twice in the last six months, Fynn’s bus has arrived around 9:07, twenty minutes late – after the 10-minute cutoff, but before the ferry had left. In both cases, BC Ferries wouldn’t give Fynn a ticket, leading to his family having to make last-second accommodation plans.
One time he stayed with his uncle, but the other time Megan phoned up another fencer who the family didn’t know very well. She said attempts to talk to BC Ferries about the issue went nowhere.
“I spoke with one of their PR people there. I was quoted the policy for the cutoff. I am aware of the policy, I understand why they have it, but my concern is when a minor is left behind at the last sailing, so I really strongly think the policy needs to be looked at, especially with final sailings,” she said.
“We choose to live in this community and we understand the ferry is an aspect of that, but since it’s a corporation that provides a public service that’s essential to us, I expect that they’ll be conscientious of what that means.”
After taking her complaints public, a BC Ferries representative spoke with Mansbridge.
“She really wanted to see a solution happen. I did get the impression that was really sincere,” she said.
In the meantime, Megan is hoping her son’s bus isn’t late again.
“Fynn did everything he’s supposed to do,” she said, “and at the end of the day, he’s ready to get home.”
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