The Thanksgiving long weekend is always one of the busiest holidays for travellers and this year it’s expected to be no different.
That’s why BC Ferries is adding 90 extra sailings between Oct. 5-10.
Many of the additional sailings will be between the major routes connecting Vancouver Island and the mainland with 82 extra sailings beginning at 6 a.m. on Oct. 6, 7, 8 and 10 as well as midnight departures from both Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay on Oct. 6 and 9.
Extra sailings will also be available between North Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) and Nanaimo (Departure Bay) at peak times, and extra round-trip sailings will be available between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale on the Sunshine Coast during the evenings of Oct. 6 and 9.
“The holiday Monday of the Thanksgiving long weekend is traditionally the most popular day of the year for foot passengers,” said Corrine Storey, BC Ferries’ Vice President of Customer Services.
“Our teams will be ready to welcome foot passengers at the terminals well in advance of their desired sailing. Passengers with the flexibility may wish to consider travelling before noon on the holiday Monday.”
According to BC Ferries, the most popular travel times are expected to be Thursday and Friday afternoons, and Saturday morning for traffic headed to Vancouver Island and the busiest travel day will be holiday Monday with travellers returning from the Departure Bay, Swartz Bay and Langdale terminals.
Those making their way between Nanaimo and the mainland can also use the Duke Point terminal as it tends to be less congested than Departure Bay.
BC Ferries is also lowering their fares on some early morning sailings starting at $39 for standard passenger vehicle and driver on select sailings.
Reservations are available for those that don’t want to risk a sailing wait and foot passengers are also advised to take public transit as parking lots are expected to reach capacity.
#BCFHeadsUp
— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) October 4, 2017
Busy travel weekend ahead for vehicles & foot passengers. Traffic forecasts: https://t.co/XouObHt67a @CapilanoU @SFU @BCIT @UBC pic.twitter.com/uINKCDTBpq
