Seabus Turns 30

[deasine]

Forgot to post this the other day:

June 15, 2007
Chair honors “Visionaries” as SeaBus turns 30

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.

Source:http://translink.bc.ca/About_TransLi...ws06150701.asp

[natelox]

“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.”

Does not compute.

[Rusty Gull]

Strangely, they held a "Seabus Birthday Party" in the middle of the day on Friday; timed so that all of the regular commuters who have supported the system for decades during the high-traffic early morning and late-afternoon hours would not benefit in the least bit. Too bad.

Any good Seabus stories from the forum? The best I ever saw was a businessman, gunning for the doors while they were closing, jam them open and board the ferry (ala Skytrain, but considered a much more serious offence). Needless to say, he caught a lot of heat for that. On another occasion, I witnessed Translink cops boarding the ferry on the downtown side -- from the outside -- to apprehend a mischief-maker onboard. Again, pretty cool to see.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by natelox

Does not compute.

I think he meant 5.2 million passenger trips (the Seabus holds 400 passengers).

[Holden West]

Anyone remember the original groovy 1970s dark orange paint scheme? I wish they'd go back to that. The current colours are too generic.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Holden West

Anyone remember the original groovy 1970s dark orange paint scheme? I wish they'd go back to that. The current colours are too generic.

those looked awful, though i agree it needs to be more original.

another thing, the Burarrd Otter and Burrard Beaver are sloooowww...

[deasine]

They Are...

Supposedly, the SeaBus will be renovated in the near future. According to the Global News Report

I wonder if any one has those pics of the orange seabus scheme. I'm interested... I wasn't born to witness that,

[Holden West]

Well, I liked the orange but maybe I'm just nostalgic for 70s transportation, dig?

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by natelox

Does not compute.

5.2 million passengers – the equivalent of more than 3 million single-occupant vehicle trips.

mathematically, it is sound. 5.2 million people is indeed equal to more than
3 million single-occupant vehicle trips To be precise, 2.2 million more.

[clooless]

Originally Posted by Holden West

Anyone remember the original groovy 1970s dark orange paint scheme? I wish they'd go back to that. The current colours are too generic.

*shudder* Please, no. Even though I lived in New West, I rode the Seabus from time to time and I remember the old interiors and paint scheme. It was quite simply ugly. I think it was around Expo 86 that the the interior of both vehicles was completely redone and the old seats ripped out along with a new exterior paint scheme. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

I do know that the Seabus terminal is in dire need of either a radical face lift or complete replacement. Before the plan was scrapped, that was the one feature of the original convention centre project for which I was most excited; a new Seabus terminal.

I have a few Seabus stories. Like Rusty Gull, I once saw a man running for the Seabus get caught in the doors, forcing them open. He was on the receiving end of a pretty severe tirade from staff and security and they refused him boarding. During Expo 86 I also witnessed a rather unusual circumstance where either the passenger ramps or doors got stuck and would not close. The ship was delayed for about a half hour while they fixed it. I've never seen or heard anything like that happening before or since.

I will say that there is nothing like Seabus in all of Canada (that I know of). The vessels were made in BC and are apparently unique in that they are constructed of aluminum (extremely rare at the time) and employ four diesel engines on each vessel to drive four independently steerable propellers. They've also had an unparalleled level of reliability for a passenger ferry over the last three decades. Regardless of the technical aspects to Seabus, there is nothing like sailing into downtown and North Vancouver on a clear night when the lights of the city sparkle across the water. Truly stunning. Happy Birthday, Seabus.

[SpongeG]

i wonder if they ever build that burnaby west coast express train station that a seabus service could be viable from deep cove over to that station in burnaby

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Holden West

Anyone remember the original groovy 1970s dark orange paint scheme? I wish they'd go back to that. The current colours are too generic.

They were only orange because that was the NDP's colour. They were painted Socred red white and blue when they came to power.

[SpongeG]

hmm

in scarbourough ontario on the skytrain the interiors were really ugly circa 1992-1994 - they had orange and fake dark brown wood type stuff

speaking of interiors - has anyone been to a new mcdonalds? talk about gross and 70's - the one on marine drive at that new shooping centre is ugly green with brown and tan and yellows and its just a total throw back to the 70's - yuck even the tile is straight out of the 70's

[someone123]

Originally Posted by clooless

I will say that there is nothing like Seabus in all of Canada (that I know of). The vessels were made in BC and are apparently unique in that they are constructed of aluminum (extremely rare at the time) and employ four diesel engines on each vessel to drive four independently steerable propellers.

The ferries here are pretty similar to the one in Vancouver. Actually, the whole crossing from Vancouver-North Vancouver is pretty similar to Halifax-Dartmouth and the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver is almost identical to the MacDonald Bridge. Halifax's downtown is also on a peninsula like Vancouver's, and the harbour here is also ice-free so year-round ferry service is possible.

In both cities it makes sense to take advantage of ferries since they don't require expensive ROWs and track. They're also very scenic so people are a little more likely to take them than some other forms of transit and tourists like them.

A new ferry route will likely be created here but will use a catamaran. It is several times faster than the old ferries (it has to be because of the length of the trip) and generates very little wake. A ferry was brought up last year from Massachusetts to do a trial run and it worked quite well. I am not sure if Boston has ferries used for commuter service though. I believe San Francisco does. They are also heavily used in Northern Europe.

[Holden West]

Originally Posted by officedweller

They were only orange because that was the NDP's colour. They were painted Socred red white and blue when they came to power.

Ha ha...in that case I think I'll vote for the Work Less Party next election because they have a nice dark red colour. Or maybe Marijuana Party green would look nice on the water?

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

another thing, the Burarrd Otter and Burrard Beaver are sloooowww...

Actually, both vessels are capable of much higher speeds. The reason they operate at that relatively slow speed is because of the wake they create.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

Actually, both vessels are capable of much higher speeds. The reason they operate at that relatively slow speed is because of the wake they create.

*sigh* they can't even go a little faster?

[deasine]

^That was like the problem with the Fast Ferries too...

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by deasine

^That was like the problem with the Fast Ferries too...

i've always wondered what if a cruise ship crashed into Canada Place or the new convention centre. would Sandra Bullock be driving it?

[clooless]

Originally Posted by someone123

The ferries here are pretty similar to the one in Vancouver. Actually, the whole crossing from Vancouver-North Vancouver is pretty similar to Halifax-Dartmouth and the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver is almost identical to the MacDonald Bridge. Halifax's downtown is also on a peninsula like Vancouver's, and the harbour here is also ice-free so year-round ferry service is possible.

In both cities it makes sense to take advantage of ferries since they don't require expensive ROWs and track. They're also very scenic so people are a little more likely to take them than some other forms of transit and tourists like them.

A new ferry route will likely be created here but will use a catamaran. It is several times faster than the old ferries (it has to be because of the length of the trip) and generates very little wake. A ferry was brought up last year from Massachusetts to do a trial run and it worked quite well. I am not sure if Boston has ferries used for commuter service though. I believe San Francisco does. They are also heavily used in Northern Europe.

Really? That's very cool. A friend just came back from Halifax for a wedding and after looking at photos of the city I got a very Vancouver-like vibe about Halifax.