6647 replies to this topic

[Matt R.]

They sold reservations for a 10:50 sailing from long harbour today that doesn’t exist. Lots of angry people stuck on salt spring facing hours long delays in Swartz or Departure bay now. Oops.

Matt.

[Barrrister]

That would really suck to discouver you were booked on a non existent ferry. Hope BC ferries at least compensates them somehow. 

[Mike K.]

They sold reservations for a 10:50 sailing from long harbour today that doesn’t exist. Lots of angry people stuck on salt spring facing hours long delays in Swartz or Departure bay now. Oops.

Matt.

Well they also said they were full on Friday at 10:22AM, so…

[vortoozo]

Imagine if BC Ferries terminals were opened up to true competition like airports.

Another angle is to add semi truck sailings at 2AM and 4AM, or whatever. Upper decks can also be available to passengers but truckers know they can board 24 hours a day and don’t need to wait for 7AM.

 

Overnight ferries were trialed during the Olympics and not at all well used. Paying for nearly empty ferries sailing would either fall to the taxpayer or in the form of increased ticket prices spread out over all sailings. Seaspan appear to operate overnight sailings on their three routes to the island; I imagine that would accommodate any commercial traffic that must sail overnight. 

[Mike K.]

To be fair it was a very short trial during winter, and 11 years ago. Victoria’s population alone has increased by ~15% since then.

[FogPub]

They ran overnight ferries during Expo 86 as well (Nanaimo-Horseshoe Bay) and it was great!

 

If they reliably ran the ferries all night (even if only every two hours) they'd get used by people coming back from that-evening events* in Vancouver or Seattle, and by truckers.  The sailings leaving the Island would be light-load, for sure.

 

* - never mind that far more people from the Island would go to such events if there wasn't a hotel bill attached.

[Victoria Watcher]

while I think that might be partially true - I also believe that many humans, especially older ones, have very little interest in staying up until 3am or 4am to go to an event.

[Redd42]

while I think that might be partially true - I also believe that many humans, especially older ones, have very little interest in staying up until 3am or 4am to go to an event.

 

Says the person who is posting at 4:31 am

[Victoria Watcher]

Says the person who is posting at 4:31 am

 

i am old enough to get up at 4am.  and i'm old enough to know if i do not get up at 4am i will never fall back asleep anyway.  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 August 2021 - 05:19 AM.

[vortoozo]

They ran overnight ferries during Expo 86 as well (Nanaimo-Horseshoe Bay) and it was great!

 

If they reliably ran the ferries all night (even if only every two hours) they'd get used by people coming back from that-evening events* in Vancouver or Seattle, and by truckers.  The sailings leaving the Island would be light-load, for sure.

 

* - never mind that far more people from the Island would go to such events if there wasn't a hotel bill attached.

 

Do you *really* believe they could achieve cost recovery on overnight sailings every 2 hours? Even the occasional midnight sailing scheduled during the summer doesn't tend to be that full. Or the 9pm sailings at most times of the year.

Plus how would that impact the service life of the vessels? 

[Redd42]

They sold reservations for a 10:50 sailing from long harbour today that doesn’t exist. Lots of angry people stuck on salt spring facing hours long delays in Swartz or Departure bay now. Oops.

Matt.

 

Looks like that was not the only phantom ferry. Or same one?

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...iling-1.6127663

[Matt R.]

Same one. 9 am departure from Tsa and 10:50 from Long Harbour, I think. Double whammy.

Matt.

[Sparky]

^ I like this pile of...

 

"Gagnon told CBC she booked her trip online about two months ago and had received a confirmation email just days before the boat was scheduled to depart. She was in a hurry to return to the Lower Mainland to see her mother, who had just undergone sudden cardiac surgery."

 

How can you be in a hurry AND book two months in advance?

[Redd42]

^ I like this pile of...

 

"Gagnon told CBC she booked her trip online about two months ago and had received a confirmation email just days before the boat was scheduled to depart. She was in a hurry to return to the Lower Mainland to see her mother, who had just undergone sudden cardiac surgery."

 

How can you be in a hurry AND book two months in advance?

 

Hitting head on phantom desk....

[vortoozo]

Do you *really* believe they could achieve cost recovery on overnight sailings every 2 hours? Even the occasional midnight sailing scheduled during the summer doesn't tend to be that full. Or the 9pm sailings at most times of the year.

Plus how would that impact the service life of the vessels? 

 

As an example, yesterday I passed the highway sign approaching Sidney around 8:55pm. The 9pm sailing (last sailing of the day) was just over half full and had 44% capacity remaining. If a 9pm sailing - in the summer - on the day after a long weekend - doesn't come close to filling, it's extremely unlikely that there is any type of demand for a 1am or 3am sailing. Those sailings would be money pits.

[Mike K.]

A money pit is every route other than the Big 3, which the Big 3 subsidize.

People would adjust their schedules. Truckers especially would adjust their schedules, but you need time for the logistics industry to adapt.

If I’m driving to Edmonton I’d like a 5AM sailing. That means I’m on the road in Vancouver by 7AM. If coming back from Edmonton I’d love to be able to know I can catch a ferry within 2-3 hours of arriving at the terminal. I’ve had instances where the 9PM was full by the time I arrived because there happened to be a game or big event on the mainland, so now you’re stuck for the night.

But I can appreciate that staffing the extra hours would be hard if not impossible.

[Victoria Watcher]

i agree that an earlier sailing than 7am most mornings would make good sense.  that's a popular sailing.  5am might work.

[Barrrister]

getting crews for 5AM would be really tough.

[max.bravo]

Not really. They have 5am departures to the gulf islands, so there are already staff in the terminal/tower/ticket booths. The big issue would be they are set up for 2 shifts per day. Bcf wouldn’t know how to do it without either running shorter shifts or incurring overtime. One option is a no go for the union, the other makes any profits negligible. Ferries are a tough industry to make the $ work

[Mike K.]

Sounds like we might have to build larger ferries. If we’re already at capacity at times with hourly sailings, we’re in trouble.