At 5:20am on Wednesday February 7, the Queen of Capilano departed Horseshoe Bay for Snug Cove for the first time in more than a month. The ferry was supposed to be back on duty starting on February 4th, but sea-trials the day before revealed the need to replace one of the bearings that moves the boat’s propeller.
“We had to order the part and then replace it,” says BC Ferries spokesperson Darin Guenette. “It was a two-day job that had to be done.”
Guenette says that while the Bowen Queen, the replacement ferry on route #8, is due for retirement in the next couple of years, BC Ferries has not yet decided what it will be replaced with. A plan for a replacement during the next refit period (January 2020) also needs to be created.
“By this time next year we should have a good idea of what we are going to do,” says Guenette. “If the replacement vessel is one with a smaller capacity we will try to come up with a plan that minimizes the impact for Bowen Islanders.”
Guenette adds that while he does not have any statistics demonstrating the effectiveness of BC Ferries’ efforts to make the re-fit period easier for people going from Bowen and back, his numbers show the ferry being full on just about all commuter runs.
The express bus between Horseshoe Bay and downtown has enjoyed increased ridership during this period, with operator and driver Peter King having his highest level of ridership since the express bus started running in 2015.
“On Monday, we had 192 riders on the bus,” says King. “I think this re-fit period was harder on people than the last, because prior to 2015, the Queen of Capilano was smaller so the change wasn’t as big. It has been good for the express bus though, as we’ve definitely generated more ridership.”
King says his next goal, to improve the experience of express bus riders, is to provide a seamless ticketing experience by getting approval for the use Compass Cards on the bus.
Ferry Marshall Jewal Maxwell has expressed her relief concerning the return of the Queen of Capilano, and will be awarded with a certificate of appreciation at council next week.
