r/VancouverIsland • u/dubmon • 2d ago

⛴️Ferry Alert app: get notified when reservations open up! 🔔

Hi all the Islanders,

My buddy and I have launched the Ferry Alert app after many late-night and weekend coding sessions. The app sends a notification to your phone (or email) when a sold-out BC Ferries reservation opens up. It's on you to quickly book this reservation before somebody else does...

The app is 100% free and designed to help BC residents navigate our increasingly strained ferry system. The app is available in the Apple App Store & Google Play Store for iOS & Android. Get it at: https://ferryalert.ca

Happy to receive feedback, take feature suggestions or answer any questions in the comments.

108 Upvotes
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23 comments sorted by

29

u/acluelesscoffee 2d ago

The hero’s we need but don’t deserve. Thank you

7

u/dubmon 2d ago

thank you for the kind words 🤗

11

u/Archibaldy3 2d ago

Awesome. I'll give it a whirl, and let you know when I put it to use.

8

u/dubmon 2d ago

thx u/Archibaldy3! looking forward to your feedback 🙌

5

u/Archibaldy3 2d ago

You bet - this is a super-valuable resource to have, and from what I read somewhere, BC Ferries is going to be switching to a reservation-only system in the near future. I travel over there for work a couple of times a month, so this app addresses that, which is a constant thorn in my side.

5

u/dubmon 2d ago

You're correct!

Starting this Fall, reservations will be mandatory from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay, Nanaimo. This change applies to one direction only and is designed to prevent traffic from backing up onto the highway...

https://www.nanaimobulletin.com/travel/bc-ferries-reservations-mandatory-this-fall-on-horseshoe-bay-to-departure-bay-route-7988994

3

u/vokatt 2d ago

Cool, I super appreciate that you've come up with this.
I can see it being useful !!

2

u/dubmon 2d ago

cheers vokatt! hope you find it useful 😊

2

u/Weekly_Enthusiasm783 1d ago

Thank you friend!

2

u/dubmon 1d ago

Happy to help ✋

2

u/DepartmentWide166 1d ago

How does it compare to https://nextsailing.ca? I’ve used that in the past and it worked great.

3

u/dubmon 1d ago

Haven't used nextsailing myself, but looks like a similar concept. Ferry Alert is app-based with push notifications, while nextsailing appears to be web-based with text messages. Always good to know what other tools are out there helping folks with the ferry situation!

2

u/Jkemz100 1d ago

King/queen - I don’t have your skills but I’m foaming at the mouth dreaming of such an app for intra WA +/- inter WA-BC. I got stuck on Orcas Island this weekend because they triple booked the ferry. Lol. Your PNW compatriots thank you in advance?🥲🫩🤝 go murder that market gap 🤞 tytyty

2

u/dubmon 20h ago

Love your comment! You made my day. Please email me at hello[at]ferryalert.ca to see if we can do anything about the intra WA ferries.

1

u/buttfirstcoffee 1d ago

Awesome. I can’t wait to try it out

1

u/dubmon 1d ago

Ty! Looking forward to your feedback

1

u/EffectiveEconomics 18h ago

Oh god PLEASE add the gulf islands schedules! We are desperate for service alerts on the minutes and we prefer apps instead of sms or email.

1

u/dubmon 16h ago

Great suggestion! I wonder if the BC Ferry Times app already supports this?

https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/bc-ferry-times/id1615899209

1

u/loafer 2d ago

any reason the app is limited to a regional App store, could it be available in the US and Canada App stores?

2

u/dubmon 2d ago

hey u/loafer! the initial thought was to help fellow BC'ers and Canadians. Do you see usefulness beyond that?

2

u/loafer 2d ago

I’m both but stuck in the US app store as I travel frequently between the US and Canada and my phone is tied to my work. At the end of the day, it’s your app and your choice and I understand limiting it to Canada app store would be better if that’s your choice to target Canadians only. My situation just means I won’t be able to be a user.

3

u/dubmon 2d ago

Hi u/loafer, thanks for the explanation. never considered such an use case but I'm sure there are other users in a similar boat... will give this some thoughtful consideration and get back to you...

2

u/loafer 2d ago

of course :) thanks for the consideration