A Victoria company is looking to start a new ferry service between Vancouver and Nanaimo.
The new service would be passenger only, twice as fast as BC Ferries and run between the city’s two downtown cores.
It would utilize high-speed catamaran ferries, similar to the IslandLynx ferry service which operated on the same route, but went out of business in 2006.
Island Ferry Services Limited is currently working to secure the last bit of funding to get the $63 million project off the ground.
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Director of Operations, David Marshall, says plans for the ferry service have been a long time coming.
“We’ve been working on this four years, to provide opportunities for a growing demand for travel alternatives and travel choice,” says Marshall.
Marshall says his company still needs to bring the ships to B.C. from Asia, and set up the necessary infrastructure.
No permission is needed from BC Ferries as the service would operate from downtown Vancouver to downtown Nanaimo, as opposed to the current BC Ferries route of Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay.
Marshall says the new service would create a new revenue stream for Nanaimo after the first few years of operation, from parking fees and port charges.
His company is asking for a tax break from the City of Nanaimo for the first few years of operation, however.
“We expect to be profitable and provide a good return to our shareholders, and we are in it for the long haul,” says Marshall.
He says the new service could launch as soon as Spring of 2014. No word on how much a passenger fare would cost. BC Ferries currently charges $15.50 for a walk-on passenger between Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay.
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