BC Ferries cancels evening sailings to and from Salt Spring Island due to staff shortage
CTV
BC Ferries has cancelled its evening sailings between Victoria and Salt Spring Island until Thursday due to a staffing shortage.
A free water taxi will operate in place of the usual Skeena Queen vessel, which has been cancelled in the evenings since the weekend due to a "crew availability issue," according to the ferry service.
The water taxi can carry 48 passengers between Fulford Harbour and Swartz Bay but the vessel cannot carry vehicles.
The last daily sailing of the Skeena Queen will leave Fulford Harbour at 3:50 p.m. and Swartz Bay at 5 p.m. before normal evening sailings are expected to return on Friday.
The water taxi will follow the regular schedule, beginning at 5:50 p.m. from Fulford Harbour.
Cancelled sailings until Thursday, July 28:
"Customers opting to travel via water taxi are invited to leave their licence plate number with the ticket agent in order to receive complimentary parking at Swartz Bay terminal," said BC Ferries in a service notice on its website.
"To assist customers arriving by water taxi, BC Transit will provide bus service to meet the water taxi at Fulford Harbour at its scheduled arrival time. An alternative option for customers travelling between Salt Spring Island and Vancouver Island is to sail between Crofton and Vesuvius Bay."
BC Ferries had previously cancelled Friday and Saturday evening sailings between Swartz Bay and Fulford Harbour, but the ferry service says those sailings have been reinstated.
