Pacific Ferries is a new contender for foot passengers travelling between Gibsons Landing and Horseshoe Bay – and they are not the only interested party.
Linda Feuerhelm, Pacific’s director of marketing and media relations, said the company’s goal is to provide a service for Coast residents who feel that BC Ferries isn’t doing a good enough job.
“BC Ferries is supposed to be an essential service and they don’t even understand what service is. Granted, we’re only 46 passengers, but we’re trying to alleviate the frustrations that a lot of [residents] may feel in their daily commute,” Feuerhelm said.
Pacific Ferries is set to begin operations on Jan. 27, starting with a promotional three days of free sailing. They will be offering sailings to foot passengers between Gibsons and Horseshoe Bay – launching from the public dock in Gibsons Landing.
Service to Bowen Island will be implemented in the following week, Feuerhelm said.
According to the company’s website (www.pacificferries.ca), regular sailings will be twice a day in the afternoons from Monday to Friday, starting at 2:55 p.m. from Horseshoe Bay (3:30 p.m. from Gibsons) with an additional sailing Wednesday to Friday that leaves Horseshoe Bay at 7:20 p.m. (7:50 p.m. from Gibsons).
According to Feuerhelm, tickets will cost $10 to get from Horseshoe Bay to Bowen and $15 to get from Horseshoe Bay to Gibsons, but are free for the return trip.
Deborah Marshall, BC Ferries’ director of media relations, said that another ferry service could be economically beneficial for everyone on the Coast.
“Options are good for the public and we feel if we can drive more people to the Sunshine Coast, that helps the economy on the Coast and that benefits all businesses on the Coast including BC Ferries,” Marshall said. “So if there’s another type of service then maybe some passengers will enjoy that one as well.”
Feuerhelm said there are plans to expand the territory of Pacific Ferries to include the rest of the Sunshine Coast once the company has a better sense of the operational needs for this area. Pacific Ferries is offering three free days of sailings – Jan. 27 until Jan. 29 – to collect this data.
“Right now we’re trying to figure out what the demand is, and this is why we’re offering the three days for free – so that I can sit on a boat and go, ‘What can we offer you and what do you guys want?’” Feuerhelm said.
Meanwhile, a YVR Clipper study is being run through the company Holland Canada Line. It’s a study that looks at the feasibility of establishing coastal ferry routes, between the Sunshine Coast and the mainland, as well as to Vancouver Island.
Fly Burton, founder of YVR Clipper, said they are currently looking for investors and interested parties including existing operators and the public to take part in establishing coastal ferry routes and a bus service between Earls Cove and Gibsons.
“The study is complete and I see it as painting an apartment – the prepping takes work,” Burton said. “In essence, that’s what the YVR Clipper project has done. [It’s] done all the prepping, now we’re ready to paint.
“We don’t own vessels at this point. But we’ve confirmed it is doable with the smaller water taxi vessels or 130-passenger catamarans or hydrofoils,” Burton said. “The market is there.”
Burton said they might end up purchasing a boat, but that hadn’t been decided yet. He said they are looking at a start date around early March.
For more information on rates and sailing times for Pacific Ferries, see www.pacificferries.ca. For more information on the YVR Clipper project, see www.yvrclipper.com
