Vehicles to require reservations on Horseshoe Bay-Nanaimo route: BC Ferries

BC Ferries says it will soon require all vehicles travelling from Horseshoe Bay terminal to Departure Bay in Nanaimo to book and pay in advance before getting to the terminal.

The change will take effect Oct. 15, and will only apply to travel in one direction; vehicles travelling from Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay will not be affected.

The company says the change is required to streamline traffic during a multi-year construction project at Horseshoe Bay.

“We understand this is a big change, and for a terminal that already has limited space, it may feel frustrating at first,” said BC Ferries vice-president of customer experience Melanie Lucia.

“No one wants to be turned away when they’ve made the trip to the terminal. By requiring advance bookings, we’re giving customers more certainty and a better chance of securing their spot, especially as space becomes even tighter during construction.”

Spokesperson Sonia Lowe says the construction, which has been underway for a while but is set to ramp up in October, is necessary to modernize the terminal.

“It’s going to reduce vehicle staging space, though, by about 20 per cent,” Lowe said.

“So the move to advance bookings in October really will help to ensure the safety of passengers, prevent highway backups, and keep traffic flowing during this multi-year project.”

BC Ferries says it will be adding a new sailing-space alert function, which will send customers an email notification if space becomes available on previously-sold out sailings. Also, a new waitlist function will give customers a chance to secure a spot when their preferred sailings are full. The company says these two changes will be available for both directions on the Horseshoe Bay-Nanaimo route, beginning this fall.

A Friday sailing for the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route has been added for every Friday at 4:30 p.m., Lowe says.

Once the change kicks in, Drive-up (at-terminal) and Reservation-only fares will not be available for the route in that direction. These options will still be available on the Tsawwassen-Duke Point route, which is unaffected by the changes.

The change will be in place for the duration of the project.