Bowen Island commuters used to have the benefit of a water taxi that connected Snug Cove with downtown Vancouver. But last year, on December 16, Mike Shannon, the owner and operator of the English Bay Launch, decided to discontinue the unprofitable run. His customers have rallied and sent letters of support in the hopes of jumpstarting the service again.
At the March 12 council meeting, Shannon presented the letters and asked council for assistance. He said, "I wanted to come and see if there is any interest in helping to get our service subsidized."
Shannon explained that he plans to approach TransLink and the Ministry of Transportation. "I moved [to Bowen Island] last year with a young family and I understand how hard it is to live here and get an income in the city. Our company can offer a bit of help. I would like a letter of support [from council] to get all my tools in order."
Shannon said he would also welcome any input on ideas about funding sources.
Earlier this year, a group of islanders explored the possibility of starting up a water taxi service they called Bowen Express. Shirley Tan-Tompkins was one of the partners. She said that over 100 islanders participated in a survey: 34 per cent said that they would pay $30 or more for a round trip ticket to Granville Island or Coal Harbour. Of those respondents, 39 per cent indicated that they would travel four to five days a week, 44 per cent would travel two to three days a week and 17 per cent would travel once a month. Twenty-one per cent of the total of survey respondents said they would pay $20 to $29 for a round trip ticket and 45 per cent would pay less than $20.
Tan-Tompkins said, "We spent the last few weeks speaking toboat manufacturers and existing operators likeCormorant and English Bay. Inorder for the business to break even, we will need to achieve a certain level of riders and a certain level of frequency. Based on the survey results, the group decided that it is not financially viable to invest in buying a new boat to operate a daily water taxi service without any form of subsidy from the government, TransLink or BC Ferries. As such we have recentlyhad a discussion withMike Shannon at English Bay Launch to look at other options."
At the Monday council meeting, Shannon said that "it's a bit of a group effort" [to get the water tax service running again].
Councillor Tim Rhodes said, "We are paying $608,000 a year to TransLink and I feel that we don't get anywhere near that in return. It would be good to explore the option of getting an additional service." Mayor Jack Adelaar reported back from a TransLink meeting and said that the municipality has to potentially send additional funds on top of the $608,000 for 2013.
Councillor Cro Lucas clarified that council did not have any money to offer subsidies but could help by sending letters of support to BC Ferries, TransLink and the Ministry of Transportation. Councillor Alison Morse expressed concern about writing a letter of support for a specific corporation. She said, "We can express generic support for a water taxi service from Bowen Island to Vancouver and if we receive subsidies, then the service goes to tender."
Council acknowledged that a water taxi for commuters is a valuable service and offered to write letters of support.
