As Easter weekend looms, BC Ferries says it is preparing for the holiday rush with extra sailings and mitigation plans to prevent service disruptions.
The Sunshine Coast will see 16 extra sailings on the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route between April 6 and 11. For the weekend's schedule visit the BC Ferries schedule page. Also added are 42 extra sailings on the Nanaimo-Horseshoe Bay route and 128 extra sailings on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route.
Easter weekend preparation includes a mitigation plan "including standby rosters and overtime, to guard against any last-minute service interruptions," said an April 4 press release from the ferry corporation. With "lean staffing relief pools", some chief officers on educational leave have offered to be on standby and other employees are taking overtime, said the release. BC Ferries is also supporting 112 new licensed officers in training and certification ahead of peak summer season.
“Our dedicated staff are stepping up to give us a higher level of comfort to launch extra sailings over Easter,” said Dean Dobrinsky, interim vice president of people and culture in the release. “We can’t thank them enough for helping us to protect the long weekend service in the face of a continued shortage of licensed officers.”
The release said BC Ferries expecting to carry more than 400,000 passengers and 160,000 vehicles over Easter weekend. It also reminds people to book ahead, arrive early, expect sailing waits at popular times and rideshare and walk-on when possible.
"Check Current Conditions and All Routes at a Glance for the status of your sailing on your day of travel," said the release.
