The company providing foot-passenger ferry service from Bowen Island is looking at adding a Gibsons-to-Vancouver run to its schedule.
English Bay Launch is conducting an online survey to gauge public interest for the idea of a regular service to downtown, and co-owner Mike Shannon said the number of responses had reached 700 by Tuesday.
"That was actually surprising," Shannon said of the level of interest.
The company, which has been operating the Bowen run for about three years, met recently with the Gibsons Harbour Landing Authority and Mayor Wayne Rowe, and has been given permission to tie up at the new concrete float at the end of the wharf.
"The dock is great. My issue is with the parking situation. It's pretty congested," Shannon said.
While the volume of responses to the survey suggests there is interest in the idea, the price could be a stumbling block for some.
"They want us to be cheaper than BC Ferries and that doesn't work," Shannon said. "We can't come in cheaper than a subsidized service."He said the company is "hoping to keep it under $40 for a round trip."
While BC Ferries charges less, the difference lies in "the convenience factor," he said. "What's two hours of your time worth?"
The trip, he said, would take about 55 minutes and the ferry would dock near Waterfront Station beside the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Shannon said he expects to start a weekend run next month and then possibly expand it to include at least one daily round trip for commuters.
"I'm very confident on the tourism end -bringing people over to Gibsons on the weekend. But we're going to step very carefully toward the commuter market," he said.
The company would use its 48-passenger catamaran for most runs, but could also bring in a 70-passenger mono-hull for some trips.
The catamaran, Spirit of Bruno Gerussi, was started in the mid-1990s and finished in 2002, and was originally intended to run as a passenger ferry between Gibsons and Vancouver, Shannon said.
The survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/K6BXCY5.
