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Reservation system crashes as drivers face hours-long waits at BC Ferries

Island-bound traffic started backing up at 8 a.m.
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Travellers face hours-long backups for BC Ferries sailings between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island on Monday. (Black Press Media file photo)

Technical difficulties didn’t help a backed-up situation for travellers on BC Ferries Monday (Aug. 15).

The organization issued an advisory at 12:45 p.m. that the reservation system was down leaving travellers unable to book or change bookings. As of 3 p.m., the system remained down.

By 8 a.m. Monday morning BC Ferries noted staff were loading as many vehicles as possible but the sailing waits started piling up for drivers leaving the Tsawwassen terminal bound for Duke Point in Nanaimo. As of 3 pm., only the 10:45 p.m. sailing had room. Tuesday’s 5:15 a.m. sailing showed space but the 7:45 and 10:15 a.m. sailings were marked full.

READ ALSO: Staff absenteeism has doubled at BC Ferries, impacting sailings and cancellations

Those heading in the other direction similarly had only the 10:45 p.m. sailing as an option.

Despite hourly sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, those Island-bound travellers have a four-sailing wait with tickets open for the 7 p.m. sailing. Congestion the other way also started around noon with travellers facing a two sailing wait.

While the reservation system remained down, the current conditions at cc.bcferries.com remained a viable option for those seeking information. BC Ferries also recommends following along on Twitter at @BCFerries.


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