BC Ferries says it is designing a new mobile phone app that should be live by the end of 2022, an announcement that comes as one ambitious citizen creates his own app to fill a technological void.
The company has never produced a smartphone app, and for years has told passengers it’s working on one to provide a user-friendly way to check sailing times and book tickets.
In February 2018, then-CEO Mark Collins told the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce that a new website and mobile app could be ready as early as that fall. Since then, BC Ferries has made tweaks to its website but the app has never come to fruition.
On Thursday, BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall confirmed the app is still happening — and should be available by the end of the year.
As for what features the app will contain, Marshall simply said “stay tuned for details when it rolls out.”
In the meantime, a local developer has come up with his own mobile app instead of waiting for the company to make it happen.
Samuel Pratt’s free app, BC Ferry Times, allows passengers to see sailing times and capacity levels on various routes. A $4 premium feature lets users change the theme colours and set a favourite route.
“It’ll never be a million-dollar app, but I feel like it’s something that people should be able to use,” Pratt told CHEK News on Thursday.
CHEK News
