For Immediate Release
21-001
February 1, 2021

Community asks BC Ferries to explore nearly a dozen ideas to improve Sunshine Coast ferry service

VICTORIA – BC Ferries is exploring 11 community-sourced ideas that could help improve ferry service to and from the Sunshine Coast as a result of the completion of Phase II of the Moving Ahead Together engagement process.

The Moving Ahead Together Project Working Group and BC Ferries developed the ideas using input from the community. The suggestions include enhancing travel certainty for residents, improving the medical travel experience, enhancing capacity use throughout the day, and improving communications with customers. In Phase II, BC Ferries wanted to understand which ideas the community wanted to see developed further. Engagement results indicate that the community feels all 11 ideas are worth further development.

Moving forward, BC Ferries and key stakeholders will turn the proposed ideas into tangible solutions to enhance the travel experience for Sunshine Coast residents and visitors. BC Ferries will continue to provide updates, and will involve the community in additional engagement over the coming months as the proposed ideas progress through to the development and implementation of solutions.

During Phase II, BC Ferries provided several opportunities for the community to learn more about the ideas and provide feedback. All engagement was virtual to align with the COVID-19 restrictions issued by the Provincial Health Officer at the time. BC Ferries received 1,600 visits to the project page bcferriesprojects.ca/aheadtogether, with 285 people participating in the engagement, and 40 people participating in virtual community meetings.

Engagement began in August 2020 with a goal of developing a practical list of solutions that can be implemented in the near term, including potential changes to operational procedures, reservation policies and communications. Phase I offered residents and ferry users the opportunity to share feedback about their experience on the Langdale – Horseshoe Bay route. Following the first phase of engagement, BC Ferries struck a project working group to help the company develop a short-list of potential near-term improvements. BC Ferries presented the suggestions to the community for review and feedback in Phase II, between November 18 and December 9, 2020.

To read the full engagement report, for more information, and to stay up-to-date on the progress of this initiative, please visit bcferriesprojects.ca/aheadtogether.