BC Ferries CEO addresses July issues, says crews and ferries ready for long weekend

Ahead of the upcoming busiest weekend of the year for BC Ferries, officials gave a press conference to address public concerns.

BC Ferries CEO and president Nicolas Jimenez spoke on Wednesday to address concerns surrounding the company and the services it has provided over the summer.

“It’s fair to say we have had a number of frustrating events happen over the summer, including the refit delays … cancellations due to crewing, and network and stability,” he said.

“We have challenges in our business and it can not be fixed overnight.”

2:07 BC Ferries vows to do better for August long weekend but warns travellers about possible delays

Although BC Ferries has had “challenges” in July, Jimenez said the company is prepared to handle the expected 580,000 passengers and 210,000 vehicles over the upcoming B.C. Day long weekend.

“Our team has been busy preparing. We plan for every vessel to be in service running at full capacity,” Jimenez said.

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“Each day this B.C. Day long weekend, almost 1,800 team members will be on board our ships and in our terminals. We have key licensed officers for critical positions on standby this weekend in the event of a staffing shortage.”

Booking a reservation for vehicles has become a virtual necessity for passengers on BC Ferries, and now the company is urging foot passengers to book ahead as well.

Ahead of the B.C. Day long weekend, the ferry service is warning travellers of expected “peak foot passenger” periods on Aug. 1 and Aug. 5, in part as a result of large group reservations.

The busiest overall travel days are expected to be Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings, followed by Monday and Tuesday mornings.

“Generally, if you are travelling as a walk-on passenger we would suggest you do show up about 45 minutes early, so that’s earlier than you would normally show up,” spokesperson Deborah Marshall said.

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One of the driving factors behind the company’s delays and website issues in July was credited to the loss of the Coastal Celebration ferry when it was drydocked for repairs.

The website became “overloaded” when the vessel was drydocked as the company tried to move reservations around.

“We have a new virtual waiting room that will be in place by the weekend to ensure website and e-booking stability for customers in the event that there is an unexpected demand on our systems.”

Jimenez also said BC Ferries has upped its “server capacity and storage in its data centres” and approved “network monitoring.”

The first quarter of 2023 has been the busiest in the company’s history, with more than 5.8 million passengers and 2.5 million vehicles using BC Ferries over a three-month period, according to the CEO.

BC Ferries said it has also begun conversations with its workers’ union regarding its new collective bargaining agreement, months ahead of the current deal’s expiry date.

— with files from Simon Little