Foot Passengers - Sailing Wait

[Dane]

How often do foot passengers end up being involved in a sailing wait?

Today the 3pm out of Nanaimo left about 20 people behind. There weren't even a lot of buses on the ship (1)... all I can figure is that they were on a C ticket or something, it just didn't make sense.

I have missed a sailinf from Swart Bay before, in 1997 on the Queen of Saanich. It was August (I think) and she had reached capacity so we had to wait for the Spirit to come in to get over to Vancouver. But other than that I've never had a problem getting loaded.

[Mike C]

Foot passenger sailing wait??!! On a C??!! By god, I am not looking forward to travelling BCF this summer to VI...

[Dane]

And just while its on my mind the Queen of Esquimalt landed in Departure Bay around 3 too.

[just some guy]

The 1500 sailing left right on time with 1054 passengers on board on a maximum licence, you must have been late

[Doug]

I thought the "C" Class ferries can take 1,466 passengers?

[Koastal Karl]

go route 30, it's less busy. I thought route 1 was always packed. Why was it so busy out of Departure Bay today?

[hergfest]

Must have been busy if the Esquimalt did a round trip today, that would have been unscheduled.

[Dane]

just said:

The 1500 sailing left right on time with 1054 passengers on board on a maximum licence, you must have been late

I wasn't even on it... I just heard the aftermath LOL

The only option I can think of is that the terminal was overloaded with people and the ticketing wasn't fast enough. The line up was all the way through the passenger holding area down the tube like it is on really busy summer days.

[Dane]

hergfest said:

Must have been busy if the Esquimalt did a round trip today, that would have been unscheduled.

I think it was coming from Swartz Bay, but it wasn't in revenue service.

[just some guy]

A "C" Class ferry can take 1466 passengers but there is a 2% buffer built into the computer system so they actually only load 1432 passengers on a maximum licence

Its busy every Sunday at Departure Bay

[just some guy]

dane said:

just said:

The 1500 sailing left right on time with 1054 passengers on board on a maximum licence, you must have been late

I wasn't even on it... I just heard the aftermath LOL

The only option I can think of is that the terminal was overloaded with people and the ticketing wasn't fast enough. The line up was all the way through the passenger holding area down the tube like it is on really busy summer days.

The terminal was just as busy as it usually is on a Sunday, foot passenger sales are cutoff 8 minutes prior to scheduled sailing time, there was 336 footpassengers on the 1500 sailing today

[Doug]

So BC Ferries made over $3,000 in revenue for foot passengers out of Departure Bay at 3:00 today...this is a good example of something you'd most likely lose by moving the terminal to Duke Point.

[Ferryman]

Spring Break ended for many Mainland schools today, as they had two weeks for a break. Lucky dummies......So that would be why everyone was scrambling to get home today. Also, it depends which C you're talking about. Oak Bay, compared to the Cowichan, can hold more people. But then again, there of course is the crewing license, which also wouldn't help, especially seeming if it was on the Cowichan.

[Dane]

just said:

The terminal was just as busy as it usually is on a Sunday, foot passenger sales are cutoff 8 minutes prior to scheduled sailing time, there was 336 footpassengers on the 1500 sailing today

That's not an oridnary day, leaving people in Nanaimo.

[hergfest]

The actual departures page said the Esquimalt did a round trip today. I don't make this stuff up.

[Dane]

hergfest said:

The actual departures page said the Esquimalt did a round trip today. I don't make this stuff up.

I checked the page after your post... and I was in Horseshoe Bay from 12:00-4:30 and didn't see her. Wierd.. don't know what happened there. I could have missed the ferry because I was playing with my band and then ate lunch. Doesn't explain the actual departures.

The Esquimalt also wasn't in DB on Fridasy or Saturday.

[Just some guy]

cascade said:

Transport Canada - has come in with a set of new reg's. On the older vessels - they can sail only to what they are licensed to carry - BUT - if the vessel is few short on there crew manifest - then they "drop" foot passengers.

Like has been mentioned - not that many buses - so why leave behind foot pax? Down to the license they have for each vessel. If you are short say a few retail staff - you can cover - or shut down the restaurant ect...but the spin off means leaving behind passengers - and foot passenger are the eases to drop. Plus you lose revenue. So BC Ferries want everyone to turn up for work.

Where do you guys get your info from?

Each vessel has an SIC 16 (Steamship Inspection Certificate) that is issued by Transport Canada, when a ship (old or new) comes out of refit they have to be inspected top to bottom first, safety drills are done with full crews and the equipment that is on the vessel, Transport Canada issues an SIC 16 based on the Safety equipment that is on board and the its crews capabilities to evacuate passengers in a safe and orderly fashion, Transport Canada issues the SIC 16 that tells the operator of the vessel how many passengers are allowed based on the amount of crew that is supplied by BCF
There are usually 4 different licences that are issued for a "C" Class ferry
A 1466 Passengers and Crew (not including the 2% buffer included into the computer system
B 1230
C 820
D 450
Depending on how busy it is, BCFerries use the issued licences based on historical stats for the time of year and week, (ie: its busy, they'll use and "A" licence to accomadate more passengers, midweek in March, "C" Licence, less crew = less labour cost)
Many times during the summer, during Thanksgiving, after X-mas, footpassengers sales get cut off because they've reach the maximum amout of passengers allowed for the licence, it just happens that almost ALL footpassengers show up for a sailing in the 30 minutes prior to scheduled sailing time, thats why they get left behind, not because its easier, because the cars are usually there first. It wouldn't be fair to leave someone in a vehilce behind that has been sitting there for a sailing or two and let the footpasenger board that arrived 20 minutes before scheduled sailing time

The Qn. of Esquimalt has similar licences (A, B, C, D) but her passenger capacities are different because of its lifesaving capabilities

Reply to below...

Get used to it, Sunday this time of year is BCF's busy day, if you not there in plenty of time, I guarentee you will be left behind

The terminal was just as busy as it usually is on a Sunday, foot passenger sales are cutoff 8 minutes prior to scheduled sailing time, there was 336 footpassengers on the 1500 sailing today



That's not an oridnary day, leaving people in Nanaimo.

[kylefossett]

just some guy. you know alot about the ticketing, my question is how are you connected to bc ferries, an employee?

[nolonger]

He knows his stuff. He's bang on!

[CN2972South]

Last summer there was a one sailing wait for walk on passengers at Tsawwassen heading to Victoria. I was the last person they let on the 10 AM(Queen of Saanich) sailing, there were about 30 people left behind waiting for the 11 AM ferry.

[Mike C]

ferryman said:

Spring Break ended for many Mainland schools today, as they had two weeks for a break. Lucky dummies......So that would be why everyone was scrambling to get home today.

Yup. Every school in Delta.

[just some guy]

kylefossett said:

just some guy. you know alot about the ticketing, my question is how are you connected to bc ferries, an employee?

27 years at BCFerries in many different capacities


Don't tell anyone

[Dane]

Still seemed odd, as I said from the get-go I've never been left behind and I corss once/twice a week. I guess I just get there at the right times, like you said. Rarely do I arrive less than 15-20 minites early. (Unless I sleep in...)

[just some guy]

cascade said:

Go to the BC Ferries web site and look at the reports done in 2005 - with meetings held - say for example on Salt Spring Island. This committee complained as to why a lounge was always closed and BC Ferries reply was that they did not carry the required number of staff / crew to man it.
Also this reflects in the number of passengers they are licensed to carry. Yes I am fully aware of the TC Reg's and the License they issue for each vessel - but guess what - you try and find out what license each vessel has been issued with from TC and BC Ferries surprising will not tell - for "Commercial Reason"

Now go to the comments about the safety reg's been talked about - concerning the Queen of the North - and guess what Transport Canada official in Vancouver do deals all the time with the rep from BC Ferries.

So YES they issue a guide line for a license - but that doesn't mean that a vessel has that one - without some sort of caveat to it.

Therefore what commercial reason - does BC Ferries have to withhold the information about what license a vessel holds ?

As Doug knows I like to read the ACT and also Transport Canada reg concerning the Ferry business - and there are a lot of holes in what they say and what they issue - if not - then BC Ferries should come clean and so should the Transport Canada official - who by the way are employed as consultants each time a review is required - what do they do the rest of the time - why they work for BC Ferries.

For gods sake man! haven't you heard!
BCFerries is a private company now (as of 2003) and don't have to disclose ANY information to ANYONE
If you don't think there are little deals going on between BCF and Transport Canada, think again

I can tell you that when they close a section of the ship down, its because they...
1) don't have enough crew to maintain the section
2) Transort Canada would allow the SIC 16 unless the reduced the amount of passenger space OR added another liferaft davit to accomodate an evacuation, BCF chose the cheap way and closed a section of the ship to passengers

Those licences are NOT a guidline, they are black & white, written in stone licences, if they load one more passnger that they're licence allows, they can't sail the ship.

[Dane]

Just Some Guy do you know if the Esquimalt ran on Sunday, and what times?

Also... how do they decide when to run her (as extra unscheduled sailings)? Is it the terminal manager that decides? Head office?

Thanks.