British Columbia Transport: Ferry
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With all the water surrounding the Vancouver region it is no wonder that ferries and all manner of boats are an indispensable part of life on the West Coast. Whether commuting back and forth to Vancouver Island or the Sunshine Coast, or connecting quickly to North Vancouver from downtown, or simply taking a fun alternative commute between the False Creek communities, the experience is pleasurable and scenic.
With a crossing time of about 12 minutes, the SeaBus is one of the quickest ways of getting back and forth between the Waterfront Station downtown to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. This passenger-only ferry can accommodate up to 400 travellers and crosses the Burrard Inlet every 15 to 30 minutes depending whether it is rush hour for those commuting to or from work.
Fun trips with False Creek Ferries or Aquabus along False Creek shoreline allow you to travel to and see various points of interest from these small popular ferries. Shuttle destinations include Granville Island, Yaletown, Science World, and to about five other docks and several more routes of interest. The English Bay Launch offer water taxi services to Bowen Island.
With year-round scheduled services and hourly departures during peak seasons on major routes, BC Ferries is an important mode of travel to the islands and other destinations along the coast where getting there by water or by air are the only options available. From Vancouver there are a number of routes primarily from either the Tsawwassen terminal in Delta (about a 45 minute drive from downtown Vancouver), or Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver (about a 25 minute drive from downtown Vancouver). The crossing time between Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay (Victoria) is 1.5 hours, and between Horseshoe Bay to Langdale (Gibsons) 40 minutes.
Ferries and Water Taxis
| Aquabus Ferries | (604) 689 5858 |
| BC Ferry Services | (250) 381 1401 |
| English Bay Launch | (604) 484 8497 |
| False Creek Ferries | (604) 684 7781 |
| TransLink SeaBus | (604) 953 3333 |
Photo credit: Ferry Dock Sign courtesy BW Connections Inc
