Our new ferry schedule starts on Monday (April 28), so what should we expect?
Firstly, and most importantly, ferry times will change for much of the day. Check out the new schedule on our ferry schedule page.
Because the number of departures has been reduced, some sailings will be busier than before, especially those leaving Gabriola between 9am and 4pm and leaving Nanaimo between 1pm and 7pm. To see which are likely to be the busiest sailings go to our best times to travel page. Also, don’t forget to check the Gabriola FerryCam site before you leave home. Most importantly, allow a little bit of extra time for your journey until the new service settles down.
For everyone’s comfort and safety
There’s no doubt that ferry line-ups will be longer this year, so PLEASE, for the benefit of your fellow travellers, DON’T leave a large gap between you and the car in front. If you do, that may result in others having to line up on the bends and hill where it’s not so safe.
And talking about safety, PLEASE use a safe turn-around point when joining the line-up on Taylor Bay Road. If you can’t turn at the regular turn-around point, please respect the no U-turn signs and carry on to the next safe point. Remember, if you can’t see round the corner, you can’t see that heavy truck coming. Don’t risk it.
Finally, if you can’t get on the ferry, please don’t take it out on the ferry crew. It’s not their fault that the schedule has been reduced; the government gave BC Ferries no choice.
Smiles ‘n Snarls
The Ferry Advisory Committee next meets with BC Ferries on May 27 (8.45-11.00 am at The Haven) to review the first month’s operation of the new schedule. We need as much feedback as possible from ferry users about what’s good – and bad – about the new service. We’ve launched our very own Smiles ‘n’ Snarls page on this website for you to tell us about your journey. How was it for you? Please be brief (and polite) but if things go wrong, please TELL US. We can’t guarantee that BC Ferries can address every problem, but unless we know about it….. There’s no limit on the number of times you can add a comment, but they may take a while to appear, as every comment is moderated before it’s published.
Remember, the FAC meeting is open to the public, but it’s not an open house meeting. If there is something you’d like to bring to BC Ferries’ attention, we need to know in advance and we’ll try and ensure there’s time for you to speak at the meeting.