BC Ferries:
Just before Christmas, the Southern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee questioned BC Ferries about the lack of extra sailings for Route 3 on the Christmas holidays. The response was that the ferry routes with the most users got all 135 extra sailings. Route 3 was to get absolutely nothing, with the assumption that it did not warrant the extra service. How wrong BC Ferries was in their assumption, with Route 3 users once again the big losers.
The service that my four children, their families, and so many other ferry users of Route 3 received on Boxing Day was neither reliable nor efficient, and did not meet the expected bare minimum, let alone exceed the expectations of Sunshine Coast customers, contrary to BC Ferries’ mission statement. For comparison on Boxing Day, Route 1 Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay had four ships servicing 14 sailings each way, and the longest overtime departure wait was 32 minutes; Route 2 Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay had three ships with 10 scheduled sailings, and the longest overtime wait was 16 minutes, although the last two were cancelled due to weather conditions. Route 3, however, had only one ship with eight scheduled sailings and one of those was cancelled. The longest wait? Only 115 minutes!
If this issue of late ferries was an unusual occurrence on Route 3, then people would be upset but understanding. That is not the case for Route 3 users, as it is more surprising if you actually get a ferry at the time it is scheduled. BC Ferries must not only say that they are committed to providing on-time service, but follow through with enough ships and staff designated to service our route at all times, and that includes special holiday periods. Is BC Ferries really committed to provide a service for Sunshine Coast residents that exceeds our expectations, and if so, when?
Diana Mumford, chair, Southern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee
