Chair honors “Visionaries” as SeaBus turns 30

June 15, 2007

The ferry service that moved Greater Vancouver’s public transportation system towards the varied, integrated system it is today marks 30 years of service on June 17, and today, it was time to celebrate the contribution of SeaBus and the people who made it happen. “Consider what traffic would be like today if it weren’t for SeaBus,” TransLink Chair Malcolm Brodie said. “Last year alone, SeaBus carried 5.2 million passengers – the equivalent of more than 3 million single-occupant vehicle trips.”

Brodie also paid tribute to the visionaries who conceived the idea of bringing back a trans-harbour, passenger-only ferry, almost twenty years after the last one had travelled between Vancouver and North Vancouver. He also noted the way the SeaBus has served as a catalyst for growth on the North Shore and helped save an historic downtown landmark – Waterfront Station.

Vancouver Councillor Suzanne Anton and North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto read proclamations, declaring June 15 “SeaBus Day” in their respective cities.

Mr Don Rice, Director of Service Delivery for Coast Mountain Bus Company, paid special tribute to the SeaBus employees who have maintained an enviable reliability record of 99.95%. Ten of those employees have been with SeaBus from Day One.

In May, the current TransLink board approved in principle the acquisition of a third SeaBus to join the Burrard Otter and Burrard Beaver. The two original SeaBuses are considered to be only at the middle of their service lives, and having the third vessel in service will enable SeaBus to increase its capacity by 50% and frequency of service from every 15 minutes to every 10 minutes.