VANCOUVER — A B.C. Ferries passenger has received a one-year travel ban after charging a staff member at the Langdale ferry terminal with his vehicle.
The incident occurred Oct. 15, around 6 a.m, when a man driving a Ford Explorer tried to get out of his line and nearly hit a ferry employee. The driver, who was in his 50s, was attempting to make the 6:30 a.m. ferry to the Sunshine Coast, which was full.
“We were in an overload situation. The customer was trying to get out of the line to board … and the employee motioned for the person to stop,” B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said.
The driver ignored the worker and barrelled ahead, and came “awfully close,” requiring the employee to jump out of the way, said Marshall.
RCMP was called to the scene and issued the driver a ticket for failing to obey the traffic controller. The man also received an immediately one-day ban from ferry travel, which was upgraded to one full year Thursday, according to a news release.
The one-year travel ban is one of several the company has issued in the past two weeks. Thursday’s release serves as a surprisingly necessary reminder that, per the release, “B.C. Ferries is committed to prevention of violence in its workplace.”
On Oct. 17, a passenger was banned from the service after threatening to shoot an employee at the Horseshoe Bay Terminal. On Oct. 22, another employee was assaulted by passenger on the Coastal Celebration.
“We are committed to providing our employees and passengers a safe and respectful environment,” said Mark Collins, B.C. Ferries’ president & CEO. “The vast majority of our passengers treat our employees courteously.
“Abusive conduct or comments, or behaviours that put our employees or the public at risk, are not tolerated. These behaviours result in a denial of service, travel ban and the involvement of police agencies.”
B.C. Ferries, which by law can refuse passage to someone, said it has security on board its vessels and at terminals, and will contact the police if needed.
— With files from Cheryl Chan
