BC Ferries mulls scrapping Horseshoe Bay-Nanaimo route

A BC Ferries vessel arrives in Horseshoe Bay on June 28, 2012. (CTV)

BC Ferries could scrap service between Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo in order to drive down costs, according to an efficiency plan released online.

The proposal would close one of the two Nanaimo terminals, and force passengers from the Vancouver Island city to reach the mainland through Tsawwassen.

Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said no decisions have been made, and the company will conduct extensive public consultations before making any drastic changes.

Those consultations are at least a year away, she added.

The efficiency plan, which was uploaded to the BC Ferry Commission website in October, cites upward of $200 million in required upgrades at Horseshoe Bay terminal as a key issue.

The infrastructure work is the biggest expenditure in BC Ferries’ 12-year capital plan, according to the document.

BC Ferries argues the opening of the South Fraser Perimeter Road will make the Tsawwassen terminal easier to access than Horseshoe Bay for traffic coming from the east.

The company also acknowledges the “total number of daily round trips accommodated at Horseshoe Bay across all seasons is greater than that at Tsawwassen, even though it has fewer berths.”

Apart from potential service changes, the efficiency plan outlines a number of proposed customer service improvements, including rate discounts and fee-free reservations.

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