The chaos continues as BC Ferries' website AGAIN shows wrong data

The travel chaos earlier this week at BC Ferries is still fresh in the minds of many and it seems there is even more confusion today when it comes to wait times.

At 11:30 am Thursday, the BC Ferries website suggested there was an up-to-seven-sailing wait for the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route — with the earliest available seating not taking place until the evening. 

In a statement to Daily Hive Urbanized, BC Ferries said the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route is facing high traffic volumes. However, the “Current Conditions” on the site are providing expected wait times for standby vehicles. This means for those who have not made a reservation to travel, there is limited space on vessels. 

“As of 11:58, Swartz Bay standby traffic is experiencing a three- to four-sailing wait, and Tsawwassen standby traffic is facing a two-sailing wait,” BC Ferries confirmed in an email statement. 

#BCFHeadsUp As of 11:41 am reserved #Tsawwassen to #SwartzBay traffic is moving normally. Standby traffic is experiencing a 3-4 sailing wait. Deck crews loaded 45 standby vehicles on the 11am sailing which may allow remaining standby vehicles to load on an earlier pm sailing. ^ed

— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) July 27, 2023

“Our terminal and vessel crews are doing their best to load as many stand-by vehicles as possible on every sailing. If they can load more vehicles than expected, wait times will be shorter than predicted,” the BC Ferries spokesperson added. 

“Please support their efforts by following the directions of loading crew and parking within 60 cm of the vehicle in front of you.”

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What’s causing all the delays and confusion?

A lot of this mess was caused by a vessel having to suddenly go out of service due to technical issues, but the good news is the Coastal Celebration vessel will be returning to service on the major route between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay this Friday.

Without the Coastal Celebration, there have been eight fewer sailings per day between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay since July 20. 

Until the Coastal Celebration returns to service, BC Ferries suggests folks check Twitter for the latest information regarding stand-by vehicles. 

In the meantime, if you’re stuck waiting, check out this handy article on how to kill time while stuck waiting at a BC Ferries terminal.