Foot passengers on B.C. Ferries may want to make reservations during peak times this summer after three sailings reached capacity Sunday, leading to waits for walk-on passengers.
The 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. sailings out of Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen all reached capacity Sunday, which is “pretty unusual,” said B.C. Ferries spokesperson Karen Johnston.
The capacity limits of the full sailings weren’t available Monday, but 14,365 people travelled out of Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen during the day, which included 4,013 people travelling as foot passengers.
“It rarely sells out on Route 1… with the exception of a few long weekends,” Johnston said. The busiest long weekend for foot passengers is Thanksgiving, when many students travel home for the weekend, she said.
Foot passengers can reserve sailings on many routes, including between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, Duke Point and Tsawwassen, and Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay.
B.C. Ferries allocates approximately 50 foot-passenger bookings per sailing. There is no additional cost to make a reservation as a foot passenger, however the fares are non-refundable. If you miss the booked sailing, the fare can be used for another ferry on the same day.
From now until mid-August is “peak of peak season,” for ferry travel, and anyone hoping to avoid sailing waits as a foot passenger is advised to make a reservation, Johnston said.
Another option is to book the B.C. Ferries Connector bus, which travels between the Island and the mainland and includes a ferry ticket.
Johnston said it was unsurprising that the weekend saw ferries reach capacity, as Coastal Celebration remains out of operation for repairs, resulting in a daily loss of eight sailings.
The vessel was taken out of service when crews noticed an oil leak from one of the boat’s four propellers.
It was headed to dry dock in North Vancouver on Monday and was expected to arrive around 10 p.m., after travelling without using the faulty propeller, Johnston said.
Once at the dry dock, the vessel was to be positioned on keel blocks that crews have spent the last couple of days preparing. Over several hours, the vessel was to be lifted out of the water to dry before work can begin, likely early Tuesday morning, Johnston said.
Coastal Celebration is expected to be operating by the end of the week.
The best time to check for reservations this week is early morning and around 6 p.m., because all reservations on Coastal Celebration are being moved to other ferries on the route, and that’s when new reservations are being released, Johnston said.
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