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Post by WettCoast on Mar 10, 2023 17:35:15 GMT -8
It did seem like yesterday had pretty extreme tides as well; the ramp onto my ferry was basically parallel to the water. And we made a 1h15 crossing on Route 1! Wonder if that contributed to the terminal difficulty with the truck. Its usually extreme low tides that cause trouble, I think? |
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Neil
Voyager 
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Post by Neil on Mar 10, 2023 18:12:09 GMT -8
It did seem like yesterday had pretty extreme tides as well; the ramp onto my ferry was basically parallel to the water. And we made a 1h15 crossing on Route 1! Wonder if that contributed to the terminal difficulty with the truck. Its usually extreme low tides that cause trouble, I think? Yesterday the tides at Powell River varied between 6' and 15.4'. Not at all extremely low, and fairly high, but not top end. Clearly, someone on board wasn't paying attention to the vehicle being loaded. |
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Post by WettCoast on Mar 10, 2023 22:13:44 GMT -8
Yesterday the tides at Powell River varied between 6' and 15.4'. Not at all extremely low, and fairly high, but not top end. Clearly, someone on board wasn't paying attention to the vehicle being loaded. With the turnover problems faced by BC Ferries I am thinking that there must be a good percentage of employees with less than optimal experience and knowledge that makes incidents of this sort more likely. An unfamiliar vessel might add to the situation. |
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Mar 31, 2023 19:53:10 GMT -8
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Post by explorer on Apr 1, 2023 17:01:14 GMT -8
March 31, 2023
BC FERRIES’ PRESIDENT & CEO ISSUES STATEMENT REGARDING
BC FERRY COMMISSION PRELIMINARY PRICE CAP
BC Ferries President and CEO Nicolas Jimenez has released the following statement regarding the British Columbia Ferry Commission’s preliminary decision on the price cap for BC Ferries’ next four-year business plan known as Performance Term 6.
“I want to assure our customers, employees and partners that ferry fares will not be going up 9.2 per cent per year for the next four years. What the Commission has signaled today is not a final outcome but rather one step in a much longer process that is ongoing and won’t culminate until September when a final price cap will be set by that independent office.
“Key to arriving at that final figure will be factoring in government’s recent $500 million investment that is expected to maintain average rate increases in the three percent range.
“With respect to the comments made in the Commissioner’s report about our ambitious capital plan, she’s absolutely right. It is ambitious and needs to be ambitious. We’ve done a lot of work to chart a course that invests billions in new ships, terminal upgrades, improved technology and service enhancements critical to improving the overall customer experience. Those that travel with us deserve a service that keeps pace with growing demand and aging assets. The 12 year plan is in its early stages of development, and it’s entirely natural that a program of this size and complexity will evolve and adjust over time. We look forward to working with the Commissioner and government to make sure both partners understand and support our vision for a world class ferry system.
“Ships and terminals don’t operate without our dedicated crew, both onboard and ashore. Our people are the heart of BC Ferries and the investments we are making to ensure they earn a competitive wage and get the training they need to grow careers with us are critical to ensuring we move our passengers and cargo safely. BC Ferries will never compromise on safety – our team ensures we live up to that promise each and every day.
“In terms of efficiencies, we agree with the Commissioner that we need to look inside the company. Continuous improvement has always been part of our ethos. I’m pleased to say that there are a number of initiatives already underway and several identified in the next four-year plan. Delivering the services our customers expect in a safe, reliable and affordable manner will remain a focus.
“I look forward to continued collaboration with the Commissioner and government – it’s key to achieving a four-year plan that responds to the needs and expectations of coastal residents while keeping fares affordable.”
BCF’s Performance Term 6 submission can be found here.
- 30 -
Media Contact:
BC Ferries, Media Relations
Victoria: (250) 978-1267
Customer Contact:
Victoria: (250) 410-1465
Toll-free: 1-888-BCFERRY (1-888-223-3779)
Note to newsrooms: For urgent media inquiries off-hours, call our off-hours line at (250) 516-7211.Email offers
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Post by Starsteward on Apr 2, 2023 21:48:40 GMT -8
March 31, 2023 BC FERRIES’ PRESIDENT & CEO ISSUES STATEMENT REGARDING BC FERRY COMMISSION PRELIMINARY PRICE CAP BC Ferries President and CEO Nicolas Jimenez has released the following statement regarding the British Columbia Ferry Commission’s preliminary decision on the price cap for BC Ferries’ next four-year business plan known as Performance Term 6. “I want to assure our customers, employees and partners that ferry fares will not be going up 9.2 per cent per year for the next four years. What the Commission has signaled today is not a final outcome but rather one step in a much longer process that is ongoing and won’t culminate until September when a final price cap will be set by that independent office. “Key to arriving at that final figure will be factoring in government’s recent $500 million investment that is expected to maintain average rate increases in the three percent range. “With respect to the comments made in the Commissioner’s report about our ambitious capital plan, she’s absolutely right. It is ambitious and needs to be ambitious. We’ve done a lot of work to chart a course that invests billions in new ships, terminal upgrades, improved technology and service enhancements critical to improving the overall customer experience. Those that travel with us deserve a service that keeps pace with growing demand and aging assets. The 12 year plan is in its early stages of development, and it’s entirely natural that a program of this size and complexity will evolve and adjust over time. We look forward to working with the Commissioner and government to make sure both partners understand and support our vision for a world class ferry system. “Ships and terminals don’t operate without our dedicated crew, both onboard and ashore. Our people are the heart of BC Ferries and the investments we are making to ensure they earn a competitive wage and get the training they need to grow careers with us are critical to ensuring we move our passengers and cargo safely. BC Ferries will never compromise on safety – our team ensures we live up to that promise each and every day. “In terms of efficiencies, we agree with the Commissioner that we need to look inside the company. Continuous improvement has always been part of our ethos. I’m pleased to say that there are a number of initiatives already underway and several identified in the next four-year plan. Delivering the services our customers expect in a safe, reliable and affordable manner will remain a focus. “I look forward to continued collaboration with the Commissioner and government – it’s key to achieving a four-year plan that responds to the needs and expectations of coastal residents while keeping fares affordable.” BCF’s Performance Term 6 submission can be found here. - 30 - Media Contact: BC Ferries, Media Relations Victoria: (250) 978-1267 Customer Contact: Victoria: (250) 410-1465 Toll-free: 1-888-BCFERRY (1-888-223-3779) Note to newsrooms: For urgent media inquiries off-hours, call our off-hours line at (250) 516-7211.Email offers I would love to see the job descriptions along with salaries for the 200+ "managers" BCFS has within the management group. Several members of this forum have questioned why BCFS needs this number of 'managers and their respective salaries. I am pleased to see that a reference was made to "look inside the company". Good grief...what a tantalizing idea from the CEO!  |
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Post by Dane on Apr 3, 2023 21:22:34 GMT -8
Aren't most of the Managers actually 'just' the Captains?
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 3, 2023 21:30:43 GMT -8
Aren't most of the Managers actually 'just' the Captains? I suspect that a lot of those 'managers' are actually technical & administration staff, something that all businesses & organizations need to exist. |
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Post by Starsteward on Apr 4, 2023 12:05:50 GMT -8
Aren't most of the Managers actually 'just' the Captains? Perhaps BCFS could address that interesting proposition? |
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Apr 21, 2023 21:21:51 GMT -8
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Apr 25, 2023 21:39:11 GMT -8
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on May 15, 2023 12:05:20 GMT -8
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on May 24, 2023 21:23:43 GMT -8
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on May 30, 2023 10:18:39 GMT -8
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Post by paulvanb on May 30, 2023 16:48:31 GMT -8
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Post by Dane on May 30, 2023 17:31:45 GMT -8
Well, it's forced deterent to a degree. There's simply not going to be capacity to get on Route 2. Might be a little messy at the start of the summer. |
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Post by WettCoast on May 30, 2023 20:13:39 GMT -8
"Safe Operations" - so that is the spin they put on this. Expect push back. |
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Post by northwesterner on May 30, 2023 22:10:26 GMT -8
"Safe Operations" - so that is the spin they put on this. Expect push back. Falling back on "Safety" is such a Canadian way to do something unpopular. |
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Post by WettCoast on May 30, 2023 22:17:22 GMT -8
"Safe Operations" - so that is the spin they put on this. Expect push back. Falling back on "Safety" is such a Canadian way to do something unpopular. Its quite the stretch to claim that 'safety' is the reason for this change. |
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on May 31, 2023 21:49:15 GMT -8
I wonder if BC Ferries is chipping away at Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay because there is no room to expansion of route due both terminals being built around residential developments. I think BC Ferries is trying to make Duke Point more attractive to customers they will need to work Regional District of Nanaimo Transit, BC Transit, to establish a public transportation service to terminal.
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 1, 2023 20:14:24 GMT -8
I wonder if BC Ferries is chipping away at Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay because there is no room to expansion of route due both terminals being built around residential developments. I think BC Ferries is trying to make Duke Point more attractive to customers they will need to work Regional District of Nanaimo Transit, BC Transit, to establish a public transportation service to terminal. Both terminals date from 1951 and have been seeing fairly heavy use over most of those years. Route 2 used to have 4 ships (albeit smaller than today's vessels) on during the summer. Together with the vessels on route 3 & to Bowen Island there were 7 vessels using Horseshoe Bay and most if not all of them were single enders which had to back out from the berths. So why would 6 double ended vessels be a problem now? Same goes for Departure Bay which in the 1990's was handling three route 2 boats & 2 from route 30 (before Duke Point was built).
BC Ferries is on the wrong path now.
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Jun 2, 2023 11:06:10 GMT -8
I wonder if BC Ferries is chipping away at Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay because there is no room to expansion of route due both terminals being built around residential developments. I think BC Ferries is trying to make Duke Point more attractive to customers they will need to work Regional District of Nanaimo Transit, BC Transit, to establish a public transportation service to terminal. Both terminals date from 1951 and have been seeing fairly heavy use over most of those years. Route 2 used to have 4 ships (albeit smaller than today's vessels) on during the summer. Together with the vessels on route 3 & to Bowen Island there were 7 vessels using Horseshoe Bay and most if not all of them were single enders which had to back out from the berths. So why would 6 double ended vessels be a problem now? Same goes for Departure Bay which in the 1990's was handling three route 2 boats & 2 from route 30 (before Duke Point was built).
BC Ferries is on the wrong path now.
True but now the population is growing and infrastructure in past cannot keep with demand for it. I think problem is sailing delays and ferry traffic just sitting on local streets for hours and Departure Bay cannot be expanded to handle traffic. I personally think in future BC Ferries will need to completely cancel the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay to enable increase service on Bowen Island and Langdale routes. Duke Point route is easily expanded with Duke Point getting expanded terminal, extra berths and four boat service year round. |
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Post by Kahloke on Jun 2, 2023 11:48:48 GMT -8
Both terminals date from 1951 and have been seeing fairly heavy use over most of those years. Route 2 used to have 4 ships (albeit smaller than today's vessels) on during the summer. Together with the vessels on route 3 & to Bowen Island there were 7 vessels using Horseshoe Bay and most if not all of them were single enders which had to back out from the berths. So why would 6 double ended vessels be a problem now? Same goes for Departure Bay which in the 1990's was handling three route 2 boats & 2 from route 30 (before Duke Point was built).
BC Ferries is on the wrong path now.
True but now the population is growing and infrastructure in past cannot keep with demand for it. I think problem is sailing delays and ferry traffic just sitting on local streets for hours and Departure Bay cannot be expanded to handle traffic. I personally think in future BC Ferries will need to completely cancel the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay to enable increase service on Bowen Island and Langdale routes. Duke Point route is easily expanded with Duke Point getting expanded terminal, extra berths and four boat service year round. If BC Ferries wants to pull traffic away from Route 2, Route 30 frequency needs to be seriously upgraded. The two additional round-trips they are offering this summer is not going to move the needle much. To really get traffic patterns to change, they need 4 boats on Route 30, and Duke Point needs to be upgraded: more parking, complete the Berth 2 stub-out (I think Neil mentioned that one), and add transit service. On the other side of the water, I'm not sure Tsawwassen is equipped to handle a bunch of additional Route 30 sailings and the increase in traffic that will bring, but we know Horseshoe Bay can't accommodate more growth. I think you would get a lot of angry folks with pitchforks marching on BC Ferries headquarters if they decided to completely eliminate Route 2, so maybe shifting the burden to Route 30 isn't a bad idea, but Route 2 still needs to exist, even if there's only 2 vessels serving it. On another note, I was looking at the schedules for both of those routes, and noticed Route 2 has a 40 minute dwell time between most of the sailings. Does it really take 40 minutes to turn a vessel around at Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay? |
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,309
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Post by Neil on Jun 2, 2023 21:53:20 GMT -8
True but now the population is growing and infrastructure in past cannot keep with demand for it. I think problem is sailing delays and ferry traffic just sitting on local streets for hours and Departure Bay cannot be expanded to handle traffic. I personally think in future BC Ferries will need to completely cancel the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay to enable increase service on Bowen Island and Langdale routes. Duke Point route is easily expanded with Duke Point getting expanded terminal, extra berths and four boat service year round. If BC Ferries wants to pull traffic away from Route 2, Route 30 frequency needs to be seriously upgraded. The two additional round-trips they are offering this summer is not going to move the needle much. To really get traffic patterns to change, they need 4 boats on Route 30, and Duke Point needs to be upgraded: more parking, complete the Berth 2 stub-out (I think Neil mentioned that one), and add transit service. On the other side of the water, I'm not sure Tsawwassen is equipped to handle a bunch of additional Route 30 sailings and the increase in traffic that will bring, but we know Horseshoe Bay can't accommodate more growth. I think you would get a lot of angry folks with pitchforks marching on BC Ferries headquarters if they decided to completely eliminate Route 2, so maybe shifting the burden to Route 30 isn't a bad idea, but Route 2 still needs to exist, even if there's only 2 vessels serving it. On another note, I was looking at the schedules for both of those routes, and noticed Route 2 has a 40 minute dwell time between most of the sailings. Does it really take 40 minutes to turn a vessel around at Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay? Brandon, your WSF bias is showing.  BC Ferries favors an extremely conservative approach to the berth, and then when the ship docks, there is an almost ponderous prelude to actually getting the vehicles off and the new load on. It's true that our major vessels carry more AEQ than yours, but that's mitigated by the fact that we load two decks simultaneously. It shouldn't take forty minutes to turn the vessel around, but it does. To be fair- Horseshoe Bay is complicated when two vessels are in dock. Blue Bus Fan fails to take into account the difficulty in doubling route thirty service at Tsawwassen. Duke Point does indeed present an opportunity for expansion, but Tsawwassen has been expanded hugely since it was built in 1960, and I think the marshalling capacity, particularly at peak times, is really problematic. There's no easy fix to this problem. Maybe... make route two 100% reserved? BC Ferries has taken the reasonable step of moving some traffic to route thirty, but it's not a fix, particularly when people's travel patterns are deeply engrained. This is going to be a difficult summer for route two. |
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Jun 3, 2023 11:07:13 GMT -8
If BC Ferries wants to pull traffic away from Route 2, Route 30 frequency needs to be seriously upgraded. The two additional round-trips they are offering this summer is not going to move the needle much. To really get traffic patterns to change, they need 4 boats on Route 30, and Duke Point needs to be upgraded: more parking, complete the Berth 2 stub-out (I think Neil mentioned that one), and add transit service. On the other side of the water, I'm not sure Tsawwassen is equipped to handle a bunch of additional Route 30 sailings and the increase in traffic that will bring, but we know Horseshoe Bay can't accommodate more growth. I think you would get a lot of angry folks with pitchforks marching on BC Ferries headquarters if they decided to completely eliminate Route 2, so maybe shifting the burden to Route 30 isn't a bad idea, but Route 2 still needs to exist, even if there's only 2 vessels serving it. On another note, I was looking at the schedules for both of those routes, and noticed Route 2 has a 40 minute dwell time between most of the sailings. Does it really take 40 minutes to turn a vessel around at Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay? Blue Bus Fan fails to take into account the difficulty in doubling route thirty service at Tsawwassen. Duke Point does indeed present an opportunity for expansion, but Tsawwassen has been expanded hugely since it was built in 1960, and I think the marshalling capacity, particularly at peak times, is really problematic. There's no easy fix to this problem. . BC Ferries manager to keep Tsawwassen at decent capacity without expansion because Swartz Bay has four vessels in peak season, three on busy days in off peak season. I think Duke Point would require four boat service year round, and they could put a fourth vessel on Swartz Bay route in off season with new major vessels coming that would massive blast capacity for both route 1 and 30. In peak season Tsawwassen would handle up 12-14 vessels a day but if they are good schedule and try to keep everything on time, I think Tsawwassen could handle all of the sailing. |
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