New numbers reveal B.C. government bureaucrats spent about $245,000 on assured loading ferry tickets last year alone – an expenditure critics are calling "preposterous."

Having an assured loading ticket from BC Ferries guarantees you a spot on board provided you show up 20 minutes before sailing, but they cost a lot more than a regular reservation.

Whereas driving onto a major ferry route with a reservation costs up to $95, using an assured loading tickets will set you back $155.

"It's preposterous we should be spending that kind of money to guarantee a select handful of individuals can bump other British Columbians out of the lineup," said Dermod Travis, executive director of IntegrityBC.

"This is demonstrating a sense that government employees are somehow more important, politicians are more important than others."

The figures, which come from publicly available government documents, describe the four quarters of the 2018 calendar year.

They indicate the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations was the most frequent user of assured loading last year, racking up more than $54,000 worth of the pricey tickets.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure wasn't far behind, spending almost $51,000 on assured loading.

BC Ferries passengers told CTV News the idea of government ministries using assured loading to guarantee space on a crowded ferry rubs them the wrong way.

"It bothers me a bit. My tax dollars at $150 a pop are being used to get ahead of me," said Rick Gamache. "Before that you took your chances and everybody was in the same boat."

It's unclear why the government spent so much on assured loading. Buying the tickets is allowed under B.C.'s Core Policy & Procedures Manual, but "not where paying the regular fare will maintain your business schedule."

"(Assured loading tickets) should only be used if necessary, as they cost more than regular fares," it reads.

And while the optics might not be good, the alternative might be a last-minute float plane ticket that costs $200 a pop.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations told CTV News assured loading is only used "when time is of the essence."

"Staff use the most economical form of transportation," a spokesperson said in an email. "When groups of staff are travelling together, it is more economical for them to drive and take a ferry, as opposed to individual flights."

With files from CTV Vancouver's Jon Woodward and David Molko