bc ferries ticket system

[twitchyzero]

last may long weekend, their busiest time of the year their online tickets were sold out weeks in advance, but there were plenty of drive-on spots...same thing happened again this year. They said it's because foot traffic already hit maximum

http://vancouversun.com/news/staff-b...-means-¼-empty

then this happens

BC Ferries apologizes for turning 12 ticket-holders away Friday at Tsawwassen terminal | CBC News

crown corp ftw

[Dragon-88]

Sounds like they needs to setup a passenger only ferry for these long weekends.

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by Dragon-88

Sounds like they needs to setup a passenger only ferry for these long weekends.

That means they will have to buy another ferry and hire more staff just for long weekends.

The ferry system is a gong show and only getting worse. I have to go to the mainland 3 times in June and maybe one time in July.

[Great68]

I'm not sure what it is about the fact that BC Ferries can only transport as many passengers as they have life safety (IE lifejackets) equipment for on the vessel that people don't understand.

So yeah, if they have a glut of walk-on passengers they could very well be leaving car deck space empty.
It's rare but it happens. I've had it happen to me (as a walk on, got turned away once)

Unless people feel like drive-on passengers should always be given priority over walk-ons, first come first serve is most fair.

The province article is just a bitch fest by people who don't understand the above.

[320icar]

I think it’s the fact these are people that booked in advanced. If I booked weeks in advanced but got kicked off because some guy showed up to walk on 20 minutes before sailing you bet your ass I’d be fucking pissed too. Might even take a shit and throw it at them

[twitchyzero]

what's their reserved % for vehicle passengers? do they leave say 25% for walk-ons, 25% for non-reserved vehicles?

think i'm just still bitter they asked me to take the next sailing to bowen when I was already in line before the time cut-off

[Manic!]

For the main sailing from Vancouver Island to the mainland there is on a passenger limit one one of the older ferries the other ferries have no limit. It is different on the smaller runs.

[Great68]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

what's their reserved % for vehicle passengers? do they leave say 25% for walk-ons, 25% for non-reserved vehicles?
:

I don't think there's a "reserved %" for vehicle passengers. It's likely who gets through the gate and pays for a ticket first.

So say if max passengers is 1500, boat is at 1495, you're standing in line and a carload of 5 people goes through before you, you're SOL.

Alternately if you're #1496 before that car load goes through, they're SOL instead.

It's how they fucked up in that second article with that saltspring/pender islands sailing, the system miscounted and let a bunch of car passengers through when those 12 walk on passengers had already bought a ticket. At that point they weren't going to forcibly remove anyone from the ship United Airlines style.

[Great68]

Originally Posted by Manic!

For the main sailing from Vancouver Island to the mainland there is on a passenger limit one one of the older ferries the other ferries have no limit. It is different on the smaller runs.

EVERY boat has a passenger limit, it's just very rare to see it hit on the big boats. Like I said earlier, I have been turned away once as a walk on Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay 1/2 an hour before the sailing because it was full.

[Manic!]

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/FAQ_Answe...ble_to_be.html

Thank you for question - I apologize for our delayed reply.

Typically, we reserve between 45 and 75 percent of the vessel on the route between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay. Any remaining deck space is granted on a first-come first-serve basis at the terminal at the time of travel. Sometimes, we implement sailings in our schedule where 100 percent of the vessel is to accommodate accumulated traffic at the terminal. If you choose to travel standby on this route, my suggestion is to arrive 75-90 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing.

If you ever require more immediate information, please call 1.888.223.3779 (within Canada & USA) and one of our representatives will be happy to assist you.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard!

Kind regards,

Dana B - Customer Care

BC Ferries

[Dragon-88]

Every time we go to the Sunshine Coast, we're always there at least 1-1.5hrs before sailing. I dont know how many times I've been burned trying to get on a ferry 30mins before sailing. To the point I just go and park the car, walk around HSB for a bit and enjoy a coffee. On the way back Langdale has a nice little beach to hang out at, so we do the same on the return trip. But geeze sometimes the waits are so long it feel like I could've flown faster.

[Great68]

I remember when they first implemented the reservation system they said they would allocate no more than 40% of the boat to reservations.

That's crazy if they're pushing 75% now. .

The recommendation to arrive 75-90 minutes before sailing if you're going standby is comical. That's 1-2 sailings' wait worth of time right there.

Pretty much forces everyone to just use reservations anyways. That's a lot of extra money for doing very little extra work, in their pocket for every vehicle I'm sure they like that.

[GabAlmighty]

BC Ferries is such a joke, on so many levels.

I saw a picket sign on someones law once when I was getting off the ferry in Gibson/Sechelt, it read: "lower fares and more sailings". It blew my mind that someone actually thought that that was a viable option.

edit: 5000th post, sweet.