BC Ferries’ Route 3 service saw no changes as a result of Step 2 of B.C.’s restart plan flipping into effect June 15.
The company has recently added “a few extra sailings” in reaction to demand, public affairs executive director Deborah Marshall told Coast Reporter. Passengers experienced delays last Tuesday, June 8, Thursday and Friday “due to heavy traffic.”
Under Step 2 of B.C.’s four-step restart plan, BC Ferries and BC Transit will offer increased service as needed, while travel restrictions between provincial regional zones will lift and recreational travel in B.C. will be allowed.
Route 3 typically sees an increase to 12 sailings during this summer from the shoulder season sailing schedule of eight, in effect currently.
The BC Ferries website indicates June 25 as the date the new schedule takes effect.
On June 14, the company announced with the start of Step 2 that screening will no longer be applied to customers travelling on routes that had been affected by the provincial order prohibiting non-essential travel between three regional zones.
That includes sailings between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay and Comox and Powell River.
Additionally, BC Ferries said it is “relaxing its mandatory mask policy in outdoor spaces on its terminals” and the practice will be optional, while it will remain mandatory on vessels outside of customer vehicles.
