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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 6, 2013 12:44:57 GMT -8
Another item from the minutes of an April 2013 Ferry Advisory Council meeting:
This item is from a meeting that was 7 months ago...
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Post by Mike C on Nov 6, 2013 15:41:16 GMT -8
Another item from the minutes of an April 2013 Ferry Advisory Council meeting: This item is from a meeting that was 7 months ago... Yes yes yes. So much yes. I think this would be most functional on Routes 1, 3 and 8 (2 to an extent, RDN Transit needs to get their act together), which see high quantities of traffic utilizing public transit or walking on both ends.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Nov 11, 2013 9:20:49 GMT -8
What is the maxium percentage of deck space that can be reserved on a sailing??? Reason I ask is the 3pm Coastal Celebration right now as of 9:20am says it's like 70% full. I thought that is alot of reservations for a saiing plus last night I checked and the 1pm through 8pm out of Swartz Bay those sailings are all fully reserved but no other sailing has 70% already! I thought it was like 50% on each sailing or something like that!
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Dec 8, 2013 14:57:01 GMT -8
Can you use cash to load your experience card??? I dont know if this has been asked before but I think I know the answer. I dont think you can right??
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2013 19:00:49 GMT -8
Can you use cash to load your experience card??? I dont know if this has been asked before but I think I know the answer. I dont think you can right?? LOL Yes you can at any ticket booth
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Dec 8, 2013 21:19:58 GMT -8
yeah but as a foot passenger or is it just at the vehicle toll booths??
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2013 21:27:28 GMT -8
yeah but as a foot passenger or is it just at the vehicle toll booths?? Any ticket booth so yeah foot passenger booths too. You can go to customer service if u want to pay with debit. I have done both before, as the self serve machines increase the amount in increments of $10.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Dec 14, 2013 11:49:01 GMT -8
I got some money cash for my bday for my experience card so I am probably doing a trip tomorrow so I will probably load it at the terminal when I go.
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Post by Mike C on Jan 12, 2014 16:55:44 GMT -8
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2014 17:18:27 GMT -8
Not directly related to BCF's prepaid cards or reservations, it does relate to payment for vehicles loading the ferry. BCFS is introducing a new system to electronically identify vehicles, eliminating the process of getting out of the booth and measuring the vehicles. This is a pilot program that is taking place at Horseshoe Bay (assuming after the upgrade).
Ticket agents have never had to get out of the booth...there is a laser ahead of each booth to measure the overall length of each vehicle. This is likely just an upgrade to the current system.
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Post by Mike C on Jan 12, 2014 18:22:25 GMT -8
Not directly related to BCF's prepaid cards or reservations, it does relate to payment for vehicles loading the ferry. BCFS is introducing a new system to electronically identify vehicles, eliminating the process of getting out of the booth and measuring the vehicles. This is a pilot program that is taking place at Horseshoe Bay (assuming after the upgrade).
Ticket agents have never had to get out of the booth...there is a laser ahead of each booth to measure the overall length of each vehicle. This is likely just an upgrade to the current system. Whenever my family and I traveled out of Tsawwassen and Duke Point with our oversized vehicle, we were measured every time by the measurement wheel. Unless there was a change to the practice within the past 3-4 years, I would imagine this is still done today...?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2014 19:50:09 GMT -8
Ticket agents have never had to get out of the booth...there is a laser ahead of each booth to measure the overall length of each vehicle. This is likely just an upgrade to the current system. Whenever my family and I traveled out of Tsawwassen and Duke Point with our oversized vehicle, we were measured every time by the measurement wheel. Unless there was a change to the practice within the past 3-4 years, I would imagine this is still done today...? HSB's system was upgraded to the current "lasers" during the expansion in '02. I just assumed this practice was standard on the major routes, but I seems like Horseshoe Bay has a higher-tech system than Tsawwassen does.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Feb 16, 2014 20:28:45 GMT -8
My experience card is set for passenger only savings. If I wanted to change it to vehicle and passenger savings am I able to do that?? Do I have to put money on it to switch or can I just switch back and forth??
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Post by Scott (Former Account) on Feb 16, 2014 21:14:58 GMT -8
My experience card is set for passenger only savings. If I wanted to change it to vehicle and passenger savings am I able to do that?? Do I have to put money on it to switch or can I just switch back and forth?? Yes, but you'd need to reload your card with a minimum of $105.00...
Reload $60.00 - $104.99 to your existing balance for passenger only savings.
Reload $105.00 or more to your existing balance for passenger and vehicle savings.
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on Feb 17, 2014 16:43:25 GMT -8
what a joke! Of course they want more money! I already have money on mine enough that I can use it for a vehicle passenger trip I don't want to add more just switch saving types! Oh well guess I won't be then!
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 7, 2014 19:17:14 GMT -8
A question from a BCFS promotions survey, that I'm doing right now:
Welcome to "Club Slug"
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Mar 7, 2014 20:21:47 GMT -8
I just did that survey too. The one thing I didn't like was having to rate a couple of questions full of options from one through six or seven, when in fact there was only one or two options that I cared about. They should have given that as an option.
But... a very nice bumpy ride back to Hornby this afternoon, on the 'storm route' that heads toward Ford Cove before turning sharply to port. Fun.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2014 22:54:01 GMT -8
A question from a BCFS promotions survey, that I'm doing right now: Welcome to "Club Slug" Wow, option two is pretty awesome. The E-Card discount really makes a difference, and it would go that much further if we didn't have to shell out sixty bucks every time.
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Post by Mike C on Mar 9, 2014 10:58:13 GMT -8
From my own personal experiences, going back and forth on Routes 2 and 30 with a car, having an Experience Card doesn't grant me with too many favours with the lack of discount; but I do think that the discount is a positive thing, and it would be a shame to see it phased out. It definitely helps reduce the cost of travel on minor routes these days.
The Club Slug points would be nice to redeem for on board services, but I see the fare discount as more important. I would also be in favour of "Option 2" for that reason.
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Post by Starsteward on Mar 9, 2014 12:14:36 GMT -8
A Points earned for dollars spent rewards program? ? Oh dear me. If any of our learned members knows of any other Ferry system on the planet that offers such a program to its' customers I'd be interested to check it out. Rewards programs are costly to manage. Rewards program points are shown on the companys' financial statements as a 'debt'. The points equal a dollar value and must be accounted for as program customers accumulate points. The 'debt' is decreased gradually over time as points are redeemed for rewards. Companies offering reward programs do have the liberty of changing,cancelling,time-limiting point, reward values with little or no notice. Anyone out there had fun with their Aeroplan card over the past 3 years?? The objective of any company that offers rewards programs is to encourage more frequent spending on whatever goods and services that particular company may offer by dangling a 'promotional carrot' at the end of the line that's attached to your cash, credit or debit card. The big 5 banks in Canada don't make a billion dollars -plus each quarter by offering rewards programs that cost them money!, nor does any other company. Perhaps the rewards program being considered by BC Ferries would be welcomed by the Provincial Administration however as undoubtedly there would be job hiring in accounting and related departments at BCF and thereby bolstering the flagging numbers of jobs being created under the B.C.Job Action Plan. I jest of course. Rewards programs? Nah, just lower the darn fares across the board and witness the financial turnaround of B.C. Ferries. P.S. I've got enough 'cards' in my wallet already. Hmmm.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Apr 4, 2014 16:05:01 GMT -8
For those interested in the detail of possibilities for a transportation system's point-of-sale system, here is a report posted today on the BC Ferry Commissioner website: H E R EIt is regarding "ACE" which is "Automated Customer Experience" program. This encompasses reservations, ticketing, discounting, etc. Here is the opening paragraph of the executive-summary: --------- And from a later part of the report: ---------------------- And an item near the end of the document: ------------------------- If this type of stuff interests you, then check out this report...
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jul 13, 2014 21:41:50 GMT -8
Something nice about the Washington State Ferries reservation system, compared to that of BC Ferries:
- Tomorrow, I'm travelling on a WSF reservation
- Today, I got an email reminder from WSF, re my sailing details, and check-in time protocols.
How nice and efficient. - BC Ferries' has a system that BCFS itself frequently complains about, and yet the more spartan WSF organization seems to have a better customer-service system.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jul 16, 2014 18:43:37 GMT -8
I may have actually got a free ride today. Coming back from another very enjoyable excursion to Sandy Island off the north end of Denman, I used my Experience card to pay for my fare back to Hornby. The Kahloke crewman used his handheld machine, and I told him I wasn't sure that I had enough left on my card. His device just wouldn't 'wake up' properly... he said it hadn't been used for a while, but while I was able to pay in cash, he said I could just board anyway, since my card payment would eventually go through if my card was still sufficiently loaded.
So, I may have got a free ride. A first, if so.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Aug 4, 2014 10:28:25 GMT -8
how much reserved space do they allow on most of the mainland routes?? I see later sailings this afternoon and evening on route 30 are already like 80% full when I looked this morning. That seems like a lot for reservations already as that dosent leave much space for people without reservations.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2014 12:09:55 GMT -8
Why can't I use my experience card on route 12? I know Hornby and Cortes have handheld devices that the crew uses, so why can't the crew on the Klitsa do the same?
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