BC Ferries CEO says ‘no short term fix’ for long weekend frustrations

Frustrations with ferry travel may have hit new highs over the Canada Day long weekend as passengers dealt with massive delays, cancellations, over-packed parking, and more online reservation issues.

BC Ferries’ CEO suggests it is the new reality for peak travel on a system that does not have the depth to handle major stresses.

“I think you saw the system behave as we would expect, in this moment, over the course of a long weekend,” Nicholas Jimenez told Postmedia News.

“We don’t have the resilience we used to have, and we’re going to be at risk for the foreseeable future when it comes to dealing with peak demand. And (customers) have to remember … the July long weekend and August long weekend, those are absolute peak moments of the summer and so the system gets very stressed very quickly when there’s that kind of demand against the business that is running a little bit thin right now when it comes to relief crews.”

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It was probably not what many ferry travellers wanted to hear as they dealt with the fallout from a major vessel out of service, staff shortages, parking crunches and server overloads for the BC Ferries website.

A Sunshine Coast-based Facebook group dedicated to BC Ferry complaints was busy airing grievances.

“Has anybody thought about working towards a ferry passenger bill of rights similar to the relatively recent air traveler bill of rights? It is not acceptable for British Columbians to be held hostage to a commercial enterprise and it’s bond holders,” posts one member.

“There’s only one reason BC Ferries can boast about adding 95 sailings on the May long weekend and reduce sailings on the Canada Day long weekend.”

Jimenez does have a vision for rebuilding “resilience” at BC Ferries but told Postmedia News it will take time.

“There is no short-term fix,” Jimenez said. “To bring this ferry system to where it needs to be, this is an exercise that will take years to unfold.”

The CEO has previously spoken about modernizing and upgrading major terminals along with the ticketing and boarding process, as well as creating new staffing models as BC Ferries faces a wave of retirements over the next few years.

‘It’s not sustainable’: BC Ferries union outlines concerns

The long weekend certainly took its toll on the staff at BC Ferries.

Eric McNeely, president of the BC Ferries and Marine Workers Union, tells CityNews staff were stretched thin trying to keep up with the demand.

“There was technological issues, there was mechanical vessel issues, and, what we’re seeing more of now is regular crew issues,” he said.

“I had members who were sleeping in their vehicles in parking lots on Gulf Islands just to ensure that the vessels were able to move in the morning.”

He says that there are some staff who will work for consecutive weeks, even on their days off to ensure operations have enough bodies on-hand.

“It’s not sustainable,” he noted.

“My members are quite resilient and consummate professionals in what they do … there’s only so much time that people can work on their days off without burning out.”

The union president says he doesn’t see the status quo lasting until the fall without people beginning to burn out. Making matters worse, McNeely says some workers are looking elsewhere as more competition, like the new Hullo high-speed service from Nanaimo to Vancouver, for better working conditions.

For those hoping to see some changes at BC Ferries, McNeely suggests filling out the company’s feedback form and expressing concerns. Overall, he says the whole operation needs a second look.

“British Columbians use the ferry system as a highway and you’d certainly be underwhelmed if someone said you could only use the Coquihalla with a reservation with a week’s advance notice. People would find that completely unacceptable, and I don’t know why as a province or as a society consider the ferries to be any less demanding or less essential than a highway,” he said.