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B.C. Ferries introduces mobile-friendly website

B.C. Ferries introduced a new mobile-friendly website Tuesday designed to make it easier for customers to plan and arrange trips.
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B.C. Ferries has rolled out a new website design that is more mobile friendly.

B.C. Ferries introduced a new mobile-friendly website Tuesday designed to make it easier for customers to plan and arrange trips.

“The major thing that customers will notice is that they can now do everything through our site from any device of their choice,” Tessa Humphries, B.C. Ferries spokesperson said Tuesday.

It has been designed to make it simpler to plan, book and pay.

The new system is integrated with devices such as mobile phones and tablets. Customers had wanted a system which could easily display information on mobile phones, she said.

New features include a fare calculator, updated real-time daily and seasonal schedules, and ­current condition information.

“There is a lot more functionality in terms of account management — planning, booking, and managing your booking online,” she said.

Current condition information will now show the percentage of space available, rather than the percentage already filled.

Customers on northern ferries travelling routes with cabins, will be able to book a cabin and seat online, rather than just submit a request as in the past.

As well, on northern and central coast routes, customers can book and pay for vehicle and passenger fares online, including resident fares.

The technical upgrades have been a “multi-year, multi-million dollar digital initiative,” Humphries said. The overall cost was about $29 million, with $11 million going to the development of the new website.

“We had very antiquated systems. It’s all part of a broader initiative to update the outdated technology and integrate all of our systems.”

That includes not only the website, but other systems such as a new e-commerce platform, integration of the B.C. Ferries and B.C. Ferries Vacations site, its reservation system, booking, redesign of the current condition information infrastructure, and more.

Website traffic levels depend on the season. For Sept. 6 to Sept. 12, the average number of users per day was about 51,000, Humphries said.

Current user numbers are about 10 per cent higher compared with last year, she said.

B.C. Ferries is keen to receive customer feedback via the company’s website, bcferries.com, Humphries said.

cjwilson@timescolonist.com