Another week brought more rough waters for BC Ferries to navigate.
It has been a tough summer for travellers on the Langdale - Horseshoe Bay route. During the August long weekend, the ferry corporation was under fire for a lack of communication at the Horseshoe Bay terminal where construction was taking place leading up to the terminal. Long lines of traffic, half empty boats and frustrated passengers once again shone a very negative light on our ferry service.
We criticized not only the corporation, but the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure who did a very poor job of handling the situation and informing the travelling public of how to navigate through the traffic line-ups to the terminal.
And it’s not the first time in the past few years that we have painted BC Ferries with a black brush for questionable customer service, rising fares and a lack of consultation in our Coastal, ferry dependent community.
But what happened on Sunday and this week can’t blamed on anyone, really. A broken clutch on the Queen of Surrey was discovered on the 10:50 a.m. sailing out of Langdale. The vessel was pulled from service while a temporary repair could be made. The Surrey was put back into service at 6 p.m. that night. Yes, many were inconvenienced by the delays and cancelled sailings, and yes, many took to social media to vent their anger, but mechanical issues happen and should be expected from time to time.
Have you been forced to wait it out in an airport after a mechanical issue was discovered? Of course you have. Did you vent on social media? Probably. Did you call for the airline to be disbanded? Probably not. So why is it OK to hammer at BC Ferries and its staff? The staff at the terminal and on board do not deserve the criticism they receive. It’s not their fault that a bolt sheared loose, forcing the Surrey into dry dock. And we find it ludicrous that some people suggested on Facebook Sunday afternoon that an employee broke the clutch on purpose so staff could get overtime and the corporation could save money because of the sailing cancellations.
Yes, it stinks that the vessel had a break down, and yes, it happened at a horrible time, in the summer during tourist season, but these things happen. It messed up some plans, but staff should not have to bear the brunt of your frustration.
