Wednesday May 13, 2026 | VANCOUVER, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
BC Ferries is preparing for a busy summer as demand grows and system pressures are expected to continue.
Not only does summer present higher tourism and vacation traffic but this summer sees the additional pressures of many thousands of people coming to BC to take part in activities around the FIFA World Cup 2026 games.
The fleet is already stretched to its limit in terms of capacity, with no backup vessels.
BC Ferries operates 37 vessels across 25 routes and 47 terminals, spanning more than 1,600 kilometres of coastline.
During peak season, the full system is in service, which limits flexibility to respond to unexpected disruptions or sudden spikes in demand. Without new capacity in the short-term, BC Ferries continues to focus on making the most of the system in place.
May 13 media session:
Today BC Ferries addressed media to outline some of those concerns and how they have prepared for the additional challenges of greater demand under constrained operational capacity.
“We’re heading into peak season ready and realistic, focused on delivering reliable service and supporting customers with clear, timely information and delivering the best possible experience during busy travel periods,” says Melanie Lucia, Vice President of Customer Experience.
She recognizes the teams at BC Ferries, calling it a system-wide effort. “ our people show up every day to support customers and keep service moving, including during challenging conditions,” said Lucia today.
Traffic levels:
While BC Ferries assesses that FIFA-related visitor counts in BC this summer will likely increase the use of their services, that might possibly be mitigated if the overall affordability challenges in many households will see people cutting back on summer travel.
Why people use BC Ferries services:
BC Ferries has articulated that they realize their customers travel for work, essential services (like medical appointments), and long-planned trips.
Supply chains are also served by BC Ferries as trucks and other vehicles carry goods for many aspects of business and supply.
That’s their core customer base in addition to the tourism and holiday travel aspects.
“For many people, ferry travel is not optional — it’s how they get to work, access healthcare, connect with family, and move goods,” said Brian Anderson, Vice President of Strategy and Planning.
Early summer season in 2026:
The BC Ferries summer schedule is starting on June 11, two weeks earlier than in previous years.
BC Ferries outlined these summer planning components:
- The summer schedule start was moved up to better support anticipated demand and projections for a busier travel season
- BC Ferries has also added sailings on key travel days, boosted security presence, increased night-shift staffing and added to the number of available ticket booths to keep traffic flowing smoothly.
- Traffic control plans have also been developed, and BC Ferries has worked closely with transit partners to align schedules to keep people moving.
Contingency Plan for summer 2026:
To help communities and customers understand how BC Ferries can respond in the event of any service disruptions, a detailed Summer Service Contingency Plan has been published, outlining preparations, planned response and what customers can expect. The plan focuses on operational recovery, customer communication and service mitigation strategies.
Customers travelling this summer are encouraged to plan ahead, book early, travel during off-peak times where possible, walk on where possible or take advantage of the BC Ferries Connector coach bus service and allow extra time during busy periods.
Boost in seasonal hiring:
Seasonal hiring and training have also been moved up this year to support the earlier start to summer service, says BC Ferries.
They say their frontline teams are preparing for higher volumes, more complex travel days, and an increase in first-time and international travellers.
The summer seasonal staffing contingent is 600 employees (higher than usual), of which 124 are returning (they are experienced and already working).
Fuel prices:
BC Ferries is also closely monitoring global fuel price volatility and is actively reviewing the need to implement a temporary fuel surcharge in the near term.
Any decision would be made in accordance with the established regulatory framework and communicated publicly in advance.
Preparations started early this year:
Preparing for peak season is a months-long, system-wide effort that brings together vessel refits and maintenance, crew planning, and customer experience improvements to prepare for the busiest time of year.
This year all of that was commenced much earlier than usual, to help ensure an early start to the busy summer peak season — noting the arrival of more people to BC and travelling within BC to participate in activities around the FIFA World Cup 2026 games.
In preparation for peak season, BC Ferries has:
- Completed refits on 22 vessels (up from 21 last year), including work carried out at local BC shipyards as well as 15 refits completed at BC Ferries’ own facility
- Completed regular maintenance on all 37 vessels and brought the entire fleet into operation for the summer
- Introduced earlier staffing and training to align with an earlier start to BC Ferries’ summer schedule, including hiring for over 630 seasonal employees to support service delivery and reduce the risk of crewing-related cancellations
- Adjusted schedules and added 1,800 additional round-trips throughout the peak season
- Extended two-ship service for travel between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale and added more than 120 additional sailings during the shoulder seasons (mid-May to late June and September to mid-October), including two additional late afternoon round-trips when demand is highest
- Expanded reservation availability on a number of routes, to create more travel certainty for those customers who can plan ahead — reflecting the fact that most customers now choose to book in advance when travelling during peak periods
- Increased availability of Saver fares on less busy sailings, with 425,000 Saver fares available across five routes this peak season starting from $39, helping encourage travel during off-peak periods and make better use of available capacity across the system
- Enhanced customer tools, including rolling out sailing alerts on five routes, and launching an online booking waitlist for travel between Comox and Powell River
Responding to challenges:
When ships require repair (or there are unforeseen incidents regarding passengers or vehicles) and delays in sailings are the result, BC Ferries says it has done deep planning to ensure that systems are back up and running as quickly as possible.
“Our focus is on delivering reliable service with the fleet and capacity we have today, while planning for the additional vessels needed to support expected future demand,” says Anderson.
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NEWS SECTIONS: BC FERRIES | TOURISM | TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION | VANCOUVER ISLAND | FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 | MAY LONG WEEKEND