WATCH: Changes are coming to BC Ferries’ reservation system with the goal of reducing or eliminating wait times.
Changes are coming to the way reservations are made on BC Ferries.
Over the past few years, the company has been upgrading its IT infrastructure.
In the next year or two, it will roll out a new reservation system.
It promises to be similar to airline booking.
“You log on at home on your computer and you check: two weeks from now I want to sail from A to B, here’s the options, there might be different routing options, here’s the sailing times, here’s the prices for all those. You can book and pay now,” said Darin Guenette, BC Ferries’ manager of public affairs.
Guenette says it would give BC Ferries a better understanding of the incoming load and also give customers more certainty.
BC Ferries might also increase deck space for reservations. Currently, it’s made on a case-by-case basis depending on the incoming load.
Overall, BC Ferries’ goal is to reduce or even eliminate wait times.
“Imagine… I just drive down to the terminal at an appropriate amount before, instead of queuing up, instead of waiting in the terminal, and I essentially drive into the terminal and get onto the ship,” Guenette said.
Under this model, reservations would be paid in full prior to boarding with no extra reservation fee.
There could also be lower fares for less popular sailing times.
Calvin To
