BC Ferries Fleet Struggles: Reliable Service Elusive

0:00It's April 6th. From your city to your ears, this is Canada News today, powered by AI. BC Ferries is dealing with major headaches from its old fleet, especially after the Queen of Surrey broke down just 40 minutes into service, following a retrofit. That led to at least six canceled sailings on Sunday, between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale, forcing the company to shuffle other boats around to keep. Things moving. Things like Jeff Groot, their communications director, say there's no quick fix for these aging vessels and ongoing mechanical woes. They pointed out that years ago, some issues might have been avoided, but now they're doing what they can. Plus, the ferry commissioner turned down their ask for a fifth new ship on key routes to Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Shredded passengers faced real disruptions, with the company moving folks to other sailings and offering vouchers or compensation where impacts hit. Hard. Locals on the Sunshine Coast are fed up, calling for reliable service every time, not just

1:02most days, after one break down after another. As of Monday, the Queen of Surrey and Island Discovery are still sidelined, with extra service added to Texada Island. A replacement handled some trips Sunday, but more cancellations hit Vancouver Island routes, and strong winds could scrap evening sailings from Swartz. While operations are stabilizing after their rough weekend, these fleet struggles highlight the tough road ahead for BC Ferries until new ships arrive, and weather calms down.