Ferry passenger numbers remain significantly reduced compared with previous Easter long weekends, even with small island communities reporting a surge of long-weekend travellers.
B.C. Ferries reported a nearly 80 per cent drop in the number of passengers even before Transport Canada introduced regulations last week requiring ferry operators to cap vessel passenger capacity at 50 per cent of what’s usually allowed.
B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said through the long weekend, which can often see multiple sailing waits for vehicles on popular routes, the company continues to see a 70 to 80 per cent drop in passengers.
“Thursday was actually a little bit busier than yesterday, but our numbers, they’re down huge,” she said Saturday.
Marshall said Thursday’s total passenger numbers were down 75 per cent on major routes and vehicles were down 64 per cent year-over-year.
The year-over-year decrease in passenger numbers appears fairly consistent, with Wednesday seeing a 77 per cent drop in passengers and 64 per cent down in vehicle numbers for major routes.
“It’s certainly not a normal long weekend. I think a lot of people have got the point: Don’t travel if you don’t need to,” Marshall said.
While the number of people travelling this Easter long weekend is down significantly compared to previous years, the weekend did see more people boarding ferries. However, all vessels are operating at below their reduced capacity.
“Suffice to say we are disappointed with people who are not heeding the advice of Dr. Henry this weekend,” Marshall said.
On Friday, a mid-day sailing between Tsawwassen and Duke Point carried 343 passengers on a vessel that normally carries up to 1,604 people — about 43 per cent of its reduced capacity, and 21.5 per cent of its regular capacity.
The busiest sailing between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen carried 408 passengers on the Spirit of Vancouver Island. That was 39 per cent of its reduced capacity of 1,050, and 19.5 per cent of its usual capacity of 2,100 people.
On its website, B.C. Ferries reports how full each sailing is according to how much car-deck space is booked, so a sailing that appears 70 per cent full online means that about two-thirds of the vessel’s deck space is full.
That measure of capacity does not reflect how many people are on board, Marshall said.
“You have to keep in mind commercial vehicles. For example, one driver and, you know, you think of a semi is like 75 feet long, so that takes up a lot of deck space,” Marshall said.
B.C. Ferries is considered an essential service and is used to transport goods between the mainland and island communities.
While the company is asking people to avoid all but essential travel, B.C. Ferries does not have the authority to deny travel based on its purpose. But it is screening people and refusing to board anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19, or has been refused boarding in the past 14 days due to a medical reason related to COVID-19.
At a daily update on the province’s response to COVID-19, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she is heartened that most people are following the recommendation to stay home and avoid non-essential travel.
“I want to say thank you for staying home and avoiding putting unnecessary strain on small communities around the province,” she said.
Henry also said there are many valid reasons why someone might need to travel and reminded British Columbians to “be patient and kind with each other.”
“I know that most people are doing the right thing… so I don’t believe there is a need for stepped up enforcement, or lockdowns or any of those types of measures,” Henry said.
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B.C. FERRIES BY THE NUMBERS
B.C. Ferries passenger counts on its main routes, Friday, April 10.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, to allow for social distancing, capacity for each vessel has been reduced by 50 per cent. The number of sailings throughout the B.C. Ferries network has also been substantially reduced.
Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay
Spirit of British Columbia
(normal passenger and crew capacity: 2,100):
7 a.m. from Tsawwassen: 295
9 a.m. from Swartz Bay: 335
11 a.m. from Tsawwassen: 357
1 p.m. from Swartz Bay: 230
Spirit of Vancouver Island
(normal passenger and crew capacity: 2,100):
3 p.m. from Swartz Bay: 183
5 p.m. from Tsawwassen: 408
7 p.m. from Swartz Bay: 175
9 p.m. from Tsawwassen: 150
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Tsawwassen-Duke Point
Coastal Inspiration
(normal passenger and crew capacity: 1,604):
5:15 a.m. from Duke Point: 132
7:45 a.m. from Tsawwassen: 251
10:15 a.m. from Duke Point: 239
12:45 p.m. from Tsawwassen: 343
3:15 p.m. from Duke Point: 197
5:45 p.m. from Tsawwassen: 243
Queen of Alberni
(normal passenger and crew capacity: 1,200):
5:15 a.m. from Tsawwassen: 54
7:45 a.m. from Duke Point: 22
10:15 a.m. from Tsawwassen: 80
12:45 p.m. from Duke Point: 33
3:15 p.m. from Tsawwassen: 124
5:45 p.m. from Duke Point: 52
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Horseshoe Bay-Langdale
Queen of Coquitlam
(normal passenger and crew capacity: 1,460):
6:20 a.m. from Langdale: 57
7:30 a.m. from Horseshoe Bay: 225
8:40 a.m. from Langdale: 89
9:45 a.m. from Horseshoe Bay: 269
10:50 a.m. from Langdale: 130
11:55 a.m. from Horseshoe Bay: 294
3:15 p.m. from Langdale: 179
4:20 p.m. from Horseshoe Bay: 249
5:25 p.m. from Langdale: 125
6:35 p.m. from Horseshoe Bay: 145
Source: B.C. Ferries
