If you’re heading to or from the mainland, the ferry service is hoping to make sure your sailing goes smoothly.
“Our dedicated staff are stepping up to give us a higher level of comfort to launch extra sailings over Easter,” said Dean Dobrinsky, Interim Vice President of People and Culture. “We can’t thank them enough for helping us to protect the long weekend service in the face of a continued shortage of licensed officers.”
With more than 400,000 passengers and 160,000 vehicles expected to travel between this Thursday and next Tuesday, the service will be adding 112 new licensed officers, extra sailings (with a mitigation plan) including standby rosters and overtime to prevent service interruptions.
180 additional sailings will be added to the schedule. That includes;
- 128 extra sailings between Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay
- 42 extra sailings between Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay
- 16 extra sailings between Horseshoe Bay to Langdale
Over the past month, less than 1.2% of sailings were canceled.
“There’s no doubt, we’re still critically short of licensed officers and we have more work to do as we head into the summer, but we’ve pulled out all the stops to protect each and every Easter sailing,” adds Dobrinsky.
To make sure you get on the ferry, you’re asked to book in advance, arrive early, and arrive on foot if you can. If you’re in a vehicle, you’re asked to consider your parking options in advance (as ferry parking lots can be crowded) and to ride-share if possible.
If a ferry you’re on gets canceled, you might be eligible for reimbursement.
