'Seems like an app that should be around': Unofficial BC Ferries app shows how full sailings are
![bc ferry times Screenshots of the BC Ferry Times app are shown on the Apple App Store website.](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2022/8/11/bc-ferry-times-1-6023734-1660251135854.jpg)
A Victoria man has designed a free app that lets users check on BC Ferries sailings and see how full they are.
The app, called BC Ferry Times, is available for Apple devices and shows how full a given sailing is, based on BC Ferries data.
The app is similar to an older app called Ferry Rush, which shut down last year.
In fact, developer Samuel Pratt says that the app is based on the interface of Ferry Rush.
Pratt says the app requires new coding whenever the BC Ferries website has an update, since it uses data directly from the official site.
The developer of Ferry Rush shut down his app when he no longer wanted to keep up with updating the application.
"When he shut down the app I emailed him and asked if I could use his interface and design on another app, and he generously said yes," said Pratt.
"It just seems like an app that should be around."
The application is free, but there are some extra features that can be purchased for $3.99, which will support development.
While the extra features are handy, Pratt says the app is perfectly useable on its own.
"I didn't want to put anything essential behind the paywall," he said.
With BC Ferries seeing many cancellations recently, largely due to a staffing shortage, the app also accounts for sudden cancellations.
Pratt says cancelled sailings are automatically removed from the app, though it does not alert users if a given sailing has been cancelled.
Correction
A previous version of this story said the app was called "BC Ferries Times." In fact, it is called "BC Ferry Times."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6968345.1721304526!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly visiting China
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is visiting China, according to China’s foreign ministry, in what was an unannounced trip.
Former safety minister wants 'protective zones' for MPs' offices as threats increase
Former public safety minister Marco Mendicino is calling for the creation of 'protective zones' around political constituency offices to shield members of Parliament and their staff from a rising tide of threatening behaviour.
Vance's night but Trump's party, Jan. 6 curtain call, Trump health still under wraps: RNC Takeaways
Republicans welcomed JD Vance as Donald Trump's running mate on the same night devoted to blasting U.S. President Joe Biden's leadership on the world stage. Here are some takeaways from Day 3 of the RNC.
Two deaths in listeriosis outbreak linked to plant-based milk recall
Two people have died after an outbreak of listeriosis triggered a national recall of certain plant-based milks, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Wednesday.
Mississauga, Ont., nursing home evacuated of more than 100 residents amid flooding
First responders say it took nearly 12 hours to rescue more than 100 residents from a flooded Mississauga, Ont., long-term care home after torrential rain pummelled the Greater Toronto Area on Tuesday.
John Deere ends support of 'social or cultural awareness' events, distances from inclusion efforts
Farm equipment maker John Deere says it will no longer sponsor 'social or cultural awareness' events, becoming the latest major U.S. company to distance itself from diversity and inclusion measures after being targeted by conservative backlash.
Rare photos reveal uncontacted tribe in Peruvian Amazon as loggers move in
Rare images of the Mashco Piro, an uncontacted Indigenous tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, were published on Tuesday by Survival International,
NEW 'No more barriers in CAF' as Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan to be officially named head of military
Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan will become the first female to lead the Canadian Armed Forces following a ceremony in Ottawa today.
Teens could face charges after homes damaged in 'ding dong ditch' pranks, B.C. RCMP say
Authorities are asking parents to speak with their teenagers following a "frenzy" of recent door-knock pranks in Surrey, B.C., that have escalated into property damage.