WAVE OF THE FUTURE: B.C. FERRIES ON BOARD
PART 1 OF A SPECIAL REPORT IN ISLANDER
As B.C. Ferries looks to the future, it’s thinking a lot about self-driving cars and being able to re-invent itself.
It’s possible that in 20 years, most customers will be using “an autonomous ride-hailing car to come to the terminal and just walking on because they are going to be picked up by an autonomous vehicle on the other side,” says Mark Collins, president of B.C. Ferries.
“What would that mean for your terminal?” he asked, while touring the Swartz Bay terminal. “All of a sudden, maybe there’s no cars down here and it’s just trucks and we have 2,000 people waiting to walk on.”
Designing ferries means building adaptable ships that can respond to new uses and trends.
“We keep most of our ships for 50 years, and a lot happens in 50 years,” Collins said.
B.C. Ferries plans 20 years ahead and beyond. Collins suggests that self-driving cars might deliver profound changes to ferry use.
“That one is coming fast. Autonomous vehicles could be on us in the next five to seven [years].”
That’s one reason why the next generation of ferries will be designed with flexible spaces, similar to hotels where flexible walls are used to create different sizes of meeting spaces.
“Imagine an upper car deck today that is full of cars but is designed with the electrical and ventilation and plumbing systems [installed] so that you could convert it to a passenger space in the future,” he said.
“Imagine a Spirit Class ferry with three passenger decks instead of two because you would have a need for that much more seating area.”
Reconfiguring existing ferries — by adding another restaurant, for example — can be prohibitively expensive, Collins said.
Because the future is unknown, “we have to be ready for whatever the alternatives might be,” he said.
If autonomous vehicles become common, a terminal would need more space for foot passengers, plus areas for self-driving vehicles to arrive and depart, and traffic areas would look more like a truck-handling facility.
Foot passenger areas at Swartz Bay, Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen already need major expansions, Collins said.
Every passenger wants a different experience during their trip. Some want a quiet ride and bring their own snacks, while others head to restaurants or work stations.
“If there is a demand for it and if the customers are happy to receive such a service, then we should look at providing it,” Collins said.
By designing ships to be flexible, “we can keep refreshing the customer experience as customers’ choices and desires change.”
Amenities and services help keep fares down, Collins said, pointing to parking lot revenue, drop-trailer services, B.C. Ferries Vacations, on-board restaurants and gift shops. “If magically overnight we turned all that stuff off, fares would probably go up 15 to 20 per cent.”
These services are optional and profitable, he said. The benefit to users is that they don’t have to use them if they don’t want to.
Look to Europe to see a wide range of cruise-like experiences offered by upscale ferry services. These ships, however, typically carry large numbers of passengers between large European cities, on longer trips than we normally see in B.C.
Brittany Ferries, travelling between England, France and Spain, features spa treatments, singers, magicians, cinemas, virtual-reality experiences, indoor and outdoor pools, shopping, games and children’s entertainers.
The Tallink Silja Line, running between Sweden, Finland and Estonia, offers nightclubs and bars, conference and meeting areas, and saunas and beauty salons.
Reducing the impact B.C. Ferries vessels have on the environment is another factor, already appearing in new and existing ferries.
Two new minor-class ferries being constructed by Damen Shipyards Group, of the Netherlands, will be equipped with a hybrid ultra-low-sulphur diesel-electric, battery-power generation and propulsion system that will use onboard electric power. The onboard batteries’ capacity can be expanded to allow full electric operation once shore-side charging systems are available.
Just like automobiles running on electric power, these ships will be quieter. Their hulls, propellers and thrusters are designed to minimize underwater noise as the needs of southern-resident killer whales are considered.
The Spirit of British Columbia ferry is in Poland for a modernization that includes converting it to liquid natural gas and ultra-lowsulphur diesel fuel. The Spirit of Vancouver Island will be converted the same way.
> Questions and answers about B.C. Ferries, such as how you can be loaded onto an open deck so that you can stay in your car while sailing. Islander, Section D
> See Part 2 on Feb. 4
B.C. Ferries is facing a review of how well it’s moving millions of passengers annually at a time when it’s facing high demand and struggling to find enough qualified staff. The NDP government ordered the review last year shortly after it took power, and expects it to be finished in five months.
B.C. Ferries’ mandate is to provide ferry service to the province’s coastal communities. B.C. Ferry Services was converted from a provincial Crown corporation in 2003 into a independent, commercial company. It is governed by a board of directors appointed by the B.C. Ferry Authority, which holds the only voting share for B.C. Ferries. It receives a fee for service from the province to help offset the costs of running minor routes. Last fiscal year, that was about $157.9 million. It also receives a federal-provincial subsidy of $29.2 million.
A lot of things have been changing at B.C. Ferries.
Ridership is climbing, taxing the existing system as population rises and more people embrace travel. The corporation is mapping out billions of dollars worth of long-term plans for its fleet and infrastructure.
Like other employers in B.C. — which at 4.6 per cent has the lowest unemployment rate in the country — B.C. Ferries is struggling to fill jobs. It is casting its net across Canada and internationally to try to find workers to fill nearly 70 positions along the coast.
Recent initiatives, such as a smoking ban on ferries and at terminals, and a prohibition on remaining in vehicles on closed decks, have grabbed our attention.
The province has promised to slash fares by 15 per cent on minor routes, freeze them on major routes and restore free passenger travel for people age 65 and over Monday to Thursday, except on holidays.
Blair Redlin, former deputy minister of transportation and former chief executive officer of the B.C. Transportation Authority, is leading the review. His job is to look at how well B.C. Ferries meets the needs of ferry users and coastal communities.
Redlin will consider changes to fares and the regulatory model that would make B.C. Ferries more efficient and effective.
He is also tasked with finding opportunities and making recommendations to enhance ferry service and reduce costs without affecting service.
Mark Collins, B.C. Ferries president, said meetings have been held with Redlin, and information provided.
“We think we are a well-managed, well-run company,” Collins said. “If they can find something that we can improve and serve ferry users better, we want to do it. We would welcome that.”
Summer of 2017 saw overloads on major and minor routes as tourism boomed.
“We see a very long-term growth trend with some sawtooth ups and downs along the way,” Collins said.
“During the summer, everything is flat out, so if it gets much busier … we can definitely see the need for more large vessels.”
B.C. Ferries understands the impact on people’s lives if it does not provide the service they need, he said.
The review is not examining whether B.C. Ferries should become part of the provincial government, as it once was.
That is what Jim Abram, Quadra Island resident and ferries watchdog, advocates. He’s shepherding a new change.org petition calling for B.C. Ferries to become part of the Transportation Ministry. When the petition hits 15,000, Abram said, he will deliver it to the legislature along with a similar petition that collected 24,000 supporters.
Abram believes that minor routes would have drastically reduced fares and more sailings if B.C. Ferries was part of the government.
Overloads were common on the Campbell River-Quadra Island run last summer, Abram said. “It was absolutely unbearable this last year.”
Waits discourage people from travelling and inconvenience them, he said. Some ferry riders will leave home a day or so in advance to ensure they can be at a critical appointment.
Brian Hollingshead, co-chairman of the umbrella Ferries Advisory Committee, said in a report that “traffic has been rapidly increasing for the past three years, and there’s no sign of the demand abating.”
Some routes are experiencing “intolerable overloads” and wait times, he said.
While he applauds the upcoming rate drop on minor routes, he predicts it will increase demand and pressure on the system.
“This is clearly no longer a business-asusual situation. While fares are important, they seem to no longer be a determining factor, as to whether people — residents and visitors alike — will put their money down for a ferry ride.”
The answer to frequently overloaded routes is not necessarily to replace the existing vessel with a larger one, Hollingshead said. Using two ferries instead has proved to be effective in the Gulf Islands.
The chairs of the regional ferry committees do not want B.C. Ferries to be within government, he said.
“There are a lot of people who believe that if that happened, then everything would revert back to the way it was in the ’70s, when fares were a lot cheaper. It wouldn’t.”
“The issue has always been adequate government funding support, regardless of the structure,” Hollingshead said. Despite the challenges, he said, B.C.’s ferry system is one of the best in the world.