B.C. Ferries bracing for summer traffic after tumultuous year

B.C. Ferries says it's ramping up service and staffing to deal with a projected increase in traffic as the summer season approaches.

At a Wednesday news conference, B.C. Ferries executives said the corporationis expecting a seven per cent rise in traffic this summer.

To prevent service disruptions, Darren Johnston, vice-president of marine operations, said B.C. Ferries increased sailings, reduced fees and made changes to staffing.

The moves are an effort, said Johnston, to improve passenger experiences after numerous sailing disruptions in 2023.

WATCH | B.C. Ferries preparing for summer surge:

B.C. Ferries bracing for summer traffic after tumultuous year

4 months ago

Duration 2:25

B.C. Ferries announced a host of measures on Wednesday, ahead of the company's busy summer season. The changes are meant to deal with operational challenges related to staffing shortages and vessel maintenance issues. As Sohrab Sandhu reports, the company says it is confident in its preparations and it's looking forward to welcoming a record number of passengers this summer.

"Last year, we had some challenges," he said. "We understand it's frustrating for our customers when things don't go according to the plan."

The ferry service ran an average of 539 daily sailings last year and faced criticism for late and cancelled sailings due to staffing shortages.

In October, after public outcry over the number of cancellations, B.C.'s transportation ministry announced it planned to fine the ferry service for cancelled sailings on major routes.

According to Johnston, about 83 per cent per cent of B.C. Ferries sailings did leave within 10 minutes of their scheduled departure last year and 1.3 percent of sailings were cancelled that's an average of about seven sailings perday.

In March, B.C. Ferries launched a recruitment campaign to address staffing shortages.

Lindsay Matthews, vice-president of public affairs and marketing, said Wednesday the company hasmade several changesto attract staff and has hired around 600 new employees this year.

The changesincludea single-year 7.75 per cent wage increase for unionized and non-unionized workers. The company also says it will guarantee shifts for casual employees and options for them to keep working after the summer season.

"We've taken steps to make B.C. Ferries a preferred employer," Matthews said.

Union president 'cautiously optimistic'

Eric McNeely, provincial president of the B.C. Ferry andMarine Workers' Union says he's "cautiously optimistic" about the labour changes, calling them "positive steps."

"How consistently people are working will be a determining factorin retaining and recruiting people," he said. "People want meaningful work and they want to be compensated properly."

McNeely adds the new hires alone won't mean an end to ferry turmoil.

"In the last couple of years, we've seen a fair bit of challenges over the summer," he said. "In both those years, we saw significant hiring."

Peak season, says Matthews, starts this June, when additional sailings will begin.

The ferry service says it's adding about 350 new sailings to accommodate the expected uptick in traffic. This will include a new early morning sailing from Victoria to Vancouver, and a 13 per cent increase in sailings from Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast.

But, Matthews warns, terminals will be busy with heavy traffic this summer and it is best to plan accordingly.

"Go at off-peak times, so early mornings and into the evenings," she said. "If you want to avoid waits, booking in advance is an absolute must."

Matthews also said in June, B.C. Ferries is dropping the four per cent fuel surcharge fee ithas been charging customers.

B.C. United transportation critic Trevor Halfordsays he hopes that lessons have been learned from what he called a "disaster" last summer on the ferries.

"I don't think anybody that I've ever spoken to, if they're truthful, are giving B.C. Ferries a passing grade based on their performance after the last number of months," he said.