BC Ferries is once again extending service and schedule changes as a result of crewing challenges.
The adjustment has been continued to Sept. 5, the company announced last week. It was originally introduced effective Jan. 28, and this marks the third extension for Route 3, which travels between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale terminals. The route between Earls Cove and Saltery Bay will also be affected into September.
"In the last two months the company has interviewed over 1,000 people, and hired more than 500 front line staff. Hiring licensed staff, e.g. first engineers, continues to be challenging," a BC Ferries document sent to Coast Reporter states.
On BC Ferries’s website, the June 23 to Sept. 5 schedule for Route 3 shows 12 sailings on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, 11 sailings on the weekends, and eight sailings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale. This is the same number of sailings offered in past summer seasons, but with time adjustments on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
While the schedule effective June 23 hails the return of the 5:30 p.m. sailing from Horseshoe Bay on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, that sailing is not returning on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
On the Tuesdays and Wednesdays, there is no sailing offered at 10:40 a.m., 12:55 p.m., 3:15 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. The next sailing after the 5:30 p.m. sailing will leave Horseshoe Bay at 7:05 p.m.
A "fast fact" sheet BC Ferries sent to Coast Reporter on May 10 says the 5:30 p.m. sailing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays required the Queen of Coquitlam and the Queen of Surrey to switch roles as primary and secondary vessels, which required a full engineering complement on both ships.
"Without the 5:30pm sailing, the need for this switch is eliminated and one vessel can be laid up, reducing the the number of engineers required," the document states. "The schedule modification allows us to proactively manage our limited licensed resources on the route, which results in more resiliency for summer service..." and making sure the company can cover vacant positions and unexpected absences, as well as reducing burnout and overtime for crew members.
Ferry advisory committee (FAC) chair Diana Mumford is raising concerns about the reduction of service in the company’s peak travel season, as well as ongoing concerns about the loss of the regular 5:30 p.m. sailing that locals use to commute home from work.
“I find it really, really discouraging because our community fought very long and hard to have that 5:30 sailing for commuters. And so for that to be the one that goes is really disappointing for people,” Mumford said. “With COVID, maybe people aren't travelling as much for work, aren’t commuting, but things are starting to open up again, and people are going back into the office… So to have that restricted by being able to get a ferry is challenging.”
She worries about how people will be affected by waiting for the next sailing at 7:05 p.m., and could cut family time short in the evenings for those with young children. Mumford also raised concerns about BC Ferries’s recent on-time performance, and how frequent service notices about late or delayed sailings are becoming.
In an FAC meeting with BC Ferries recently, Mumford said the chairs asked about how traffic would be handled when capacity is reached at the Horseshoe Bay terminal, and were told it would be the same as last year. Any non-reserved vehicle passengers will be asked to return at a later time and be turned away from the terminal, she said.
On the company’s website, it shows the highest percentage of bookable deck space between Horseshoe Bay and Sunshine Coast is 65 per cent, while the average per cent bookable is 45, and the average booked space on a sailing is 25 per cent. The terminal is also used for other routes.
