issue 27/ vol 45

Q to Q ferry update

» New Westminster ferry service extended to September 2

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Bex Peterson
Editor-in-Chief

 

ew West residents hoping to cross the
Fraser from Queensborough Landing
to the River Market and back again will
be able to do so with extended service
throughout the summer.
The Q to Q ferry service, which
takes passengers from the Westminster
Quay to the Port Royal Public Dock in
Queensborough and back again, has
been extended once more for full summer

service. From May 18 to September 2 the
ferry service will be operating from 6 am to
8 pm Monday to Thursday; 6 am to 9 pm
on Friday; and 9 am to 9 pm on weekends
and statutory holidays. The ferry service
runs ona half-hour schedule throughout
the day, though the journey across the
water itself only takes about five minutes.

The ferry vessels can carry up to 12
passengers at a time, with room for up
to two wheelchairs and four bicycles per
trip. Parents are also able to bring strollers
aboard if necessary.

Pets are allowed on the ferry, though

cats must be kenneled and dogs leashed
and licensed. The official Q to Q website
also advises that human passengers take
priority, and that passengers with animals
might have to wait for another ferry if one
of the other passengers has an allergy.

The summer months are popular for
the Q to Q ferry service, with ridership
dropping over the colder and busier fall and
winter months, according to the New West
Record. A staff report to the New West city
council this past December showed that
ridership dropped to between one third to
one half of what it was last summer.

news // no. 5

 

Photo by Billy Bui

“In-depth analysis of weekly ridership
and weather effects show that the majority
of reduction occurs during weekdays,
regardless of weather impacts,” stated the
report. “This implies that fall and winter
commuting patterns have a greater effect
on ridership than forecast rain.”

The report also stated that the City
is looking to improve accessibility along
the docksides and hopes to continue the
service for “at least the next five years.”

The full summer service schedule is
available on the City of New Westminster's
official website.

Latest air passenger travel regulations

» New rules announced by CTA

Tania Arora
Staff Reporter

 

tudents looking to make the most of

their summer vacation will be relieved
to hear that the federal government is
rolling out new regulations to protect air
travellers.

The Canadian Transportation Agency
(CTA) explained in a statement that
from July 15 onwards, airlines will have to
communicate effectively to passengers
in case of flight delays and compensate
with a sum of up to $2,400 for bumping
passengers for reasons within the airline’s
control, such as overbooking. The airlines
must provide clear guidelines regarding
transportation of musical instruments and
compensate travellers for lost or damaged
baggage. Passengers must also be ensured
proper treatment in case a flight gets
delayed.

This is only phase one of a two-part
series of regulations, with the next phase
set to come into effect December 15.

“Our goal was to provide a world-
leading approach to air passenger rights
that would be predictable and fair for
passengers while ensuring our air carriers

remain strong and competitive,” said
Transport Minister Marc Garneau ina
statement. “After a long and thorough
consultation process, I am proud to say
these new regulations achieve that balance
and will give air travellers the rights and
treatment they pay for and deserve.”

Anushka Basantani, a student at
Douglas College, shared her own air travel
ordeal with the Other Press.

“Tt was in January last year when I
was travelling to New York via Toronto. I
was supposed to reach JFK around 1am
on Thursday,” said Basantani. “I landed
in Toronto around six in the morning.

My scheduled flight was cancelled due

to heavy snow and then the next three
rescheduled flights also got cancelled. I
was at the airport for 15 hours after which
[...] | was given a decent hotel and two $10
vouchers for dinner and breakfast next
morning.”

Basantani lost over a day of her New
York trip due to delays.

While the second phase of airline
protections covers compensation for
flight delays—including providing up to
$1,000 worth of compensation for delays
and cancellations—such protections only

cover flight cancellations that are within
an airline’s control and that are not due to
safety concerns. Weather-related delays
and cancellations are not covered under
these protections.

These baseline regulations and
protections have been in the works for over
a year and reflect the work of many hours
of consultation with the Canadian public.

“Thousands of Canadians participated
in the consultations that helped shape
these new rules,” said Scott Streiner, Chair
and CEO of the CTA in their statement on
the regulations. “We're grateful for their
input, and confident that these ground-
breaking regulations will help ensure
passengers are treated fairly if their air
travel doesn’t go smoothly.”