A mainstay of the region’s hospitality services since 1997, the Sunshine Coast Travel Ambassadors suspended their program on Saturday, June 27, after a BC Ferries manager told the volunteers they would have to pay to park at Langdale terminal or face having their vehicles towed away.
On Tuesday, after being contacted by Coast Reporter, BC Ferries reversed the policy and the Travel Ambassadors (TAs) were expected to be back in service on Thursday, July 2.
The TAs, who operate under the direction of the Gibsons and District Chamber of Commerce, decided to suspend the program last Friday after Maureen Darragh, manager of terminal operations at Langdale, sent an email to Chamber vice president Caroline Gagné, the TAs’ liaison with BC Ferries.
In the email, Darragh said she understood there was some confusion surrounding TA parking.
“Way back in the time of the Neanderthals, we had enough space in pay parking and did offer free parking. As a matter of fact, I believe it was free for everyone. Now we have a much bigger population, and therefore more people requiring parking services,” Darragh wrote.
She went on to say that BC Ferries had charged the TAs for parking for several years – but the group said that was simply incorrect.
“Never, never,” TA coordinator LeRoy Pattison said Tuesday, noting the volunteers place a laminated card on the dashboards of their vehicles “and never had a problem.” BC Ferries, he said, had asked the group to pay for parking about four or five years ago. “We said no, and it kind of blew over.”
Darragh’s email concluded: “We offer the reasonable rate of $2.25 for a partial day. We tow after the second offence. We encourage public transit, carpooling and being dropped off by friends and family. Our pay parking is intended for BC Ferries customers only. That said, we can offer these wonderful volunteers the use of the pay parking lot, but they must pay each time. I hope this is clear.”
Calling the demand “kind of Mickey Mouse,” Pattison said the TAs do carpool so that often only one vehicle per shift is parked at the terminal. During tourist season, two TAs regularly work one shift in the morning, staffing two return sailings, while another pair staff two return sailings in the afternoon. With more than 30 TAs, the volunteer group provides the service seven days a week from April to October.
René Meissl, who has been a TA for five years, said he speaks to more than 100 people during one shift, answering questions about ferry schedules, onboard services and where to disembark. He called the decision “pretty counterproductive” for BC Ferries, since many of the passengers would otherwise direct their questions to the chief steward.
“So we are a benefit to them,” Meissl said. “It boggles the mind.”
Pattison echoed that sentiment, saying the TAs do more than just greet visitors.
“When we come back in April, BC Ferries are glad to have us back – the crew and the chief steward. We take a lot of pressure off the BC Ferries people and they are very appreciative,” he said. “I’m sure this is not what the crew onboard the boats want, or what the passengers want.”
Contacted Tuesday by Coast Reporter, BC Ferries director of media relations Deborah Marshall said the request for the TAs to pay for parking was based on incorrect information.
“I’ve circled back with terminal operations regarding the Travel Ambassadors. They mistakenly were under the impression that the Ambassadors had been paying for parking for some time now,” Marshall said in an email.
“BC Ferries values the service provided by this group of hard-working volunteers. They provide an important service to our customers and visitors to the Sunshine Coast, and we do not want to create any barriers,” she wrote.
“We will work with the Chamber of Commerce on a solution so the Ambassadors can continue to park at the terminal free of charge while they are volunteering on our ships.”
Asked when passengers could expect the TAs back on Route 3, she said BC Ferries was trying to reach out to the Chamber that day.
In an email to Coast Reporter late Wednesday, Pattison said the volunteers would be returning Thursday to their posts on the ferries, ending the withdrawal of service after five days.
“We really do appreciate your help in getting things resolved satisfactorily,” he told the newspaper.
