Texada - Comox Direct Service Pilot

BC Ferries has concluded its review of the proposed schedule for a Texada Island – Comox pilot. While we understand the strong desire of the Texada Island community to have service directly to Vancouver Island, the solution desired by the community is not affordable at this time given all the other pressures across BC Ferries’ system.

We would like to thank the Ferry Advisory Committee members who worked closely with the community to bring forward a proposal. We worked with our fleet deployment, financial, and operational teams to carefully analyze the proposal including costs and potential revenue gains. The estimated annual cost of the proposed service is approximately $250,000. This costing includes consideration for:

• Increased labour costs and crewing implications of providing the service (ticket, terminal, deck crew etc.)
• Increased fuel costs associated with longer travel times for the vessel
• Minimal revenue increase as we are shifting travel from one route to another, i.e. minimal traffic increase overall

We recognize the strong desire of the community for easy travel between Texada Island and Vancouver Island. Although we are unable to provide direct service at this time, we are actively exploring the potential to offer a thru-fare for those travelling on to Comox. This will take our teams some time and we will provide an update to the community in the spring.

Consistent with the company’s strategic direction for the coming year, we are focused on addressing our most pressing priorities including investing in our people to support reliable service, building capacity to support traffic growth across our system, and replacing our aging fleet of vessels. This overarching direction, identified through the organization's Performance Term Six submission to the BC Ferry Commissioner is supported by both Boards of BC Ferries and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. With one of our most challenging summer seasons behind us, it is imperative that we focus our efforts and resources on addressing these priorities before we consider adding or modifying routes. Our decision regarding the Texada pilot has also been shared with the BC Ferry Commissioner who understands the difficult choice we made.

BC Ferries’ proposed plans for the future (2024-2028), are detailed in our Performance Term Six Submission to the Commissioner, which outlines plans for all routes, including traffic forecasts and projected expenditures. Communities are encouraged to read and provide feedback on the Submission which can be found on the Commissioner’s website at:

https://www.bcferrycommission.ca/commissioner-begins-price-cap-setting-process-upon-receipt-of-bc-ferries-submission-for-performance-term-6-april-1-2024-to-march-31-2028/.

We would like to recognize the significant work of the Ferry Advisory Committee members on Texada Island who have been instrumental in assisting BC Ferries in engaging with the community, and representing community interests in relation to the direct service pilot. Their time and commitment are greatly appreciated.

A full report on the Texada Direct Service pilot has been posted here. Texada Engagement Report

Recent meeting between FAC members and BC Ferries

BC Ferries and Texada Island FAC members recently met to review the FAC’s proposed schedule. The purpose of this meeting was to ensure BC Ferries was clear on the details of the schedule and the FAC’s proposal. BC Ferries is now assessing the FAC’s schedule including feasibility, incremental cost, and the logistics of implementations. Once analysis is complete, the schedule will be presented to BC Ferries Executive for their review and approval.

Next Steps

Following executive review and approval, BC Ferries will work with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) on changes that may be required to the Coastal Ferry Services Contract. A direct Texada-Comox service establishes a new route in the BC Ferries system, and changes the amount of service provided between Texada and Powell River below what BC Ferries is contractually obligated to provide annually, something the original 2020 pilot did not do. These changes need to be approved by MOTI, and community support for the changes is an important part of this process.

Pending approval by MOTI, we will work with the FAC and the community to determine a launch date for the pilot and to outline engagement activities to evaluate its success.

We will continue to keep the community updated via this page as we progress.

Engagement results

After reviewing over 180 comments and tallying the votes provided through our recent engagement, four major themes emerged:

1. Sailing times that protect critical sailings (e.g. morning school runs) and allow for enough time in Comox before returning
2. Desire to restart the pilot as soon as possible
3. Wednesday and Saturday as the desired days of the week for direct service
4. Desire to implement the schedule presented by the FAC

In addition to the comments received at the engagement session, we have also received feedback via the results of the Ferry Advisory Committee survey that indicates a preference for:

• Direct service between Texada and Comox
• Round trip fare paid in Comox
• Use of Wednesday sailings for medical appointments
• Use of Saturday sailings for recreational purposes
• Wednesday sailings if only one day is offered in the off-peak season

We thank everyone for the input provided. We will use this feedback to shape schedules and the structure of the pilot moving forward. We continue to work on the full engagement summary report and will share it on this page once completed.

Next steps

1. Establish a BC Ferries – FAC Working Group: We are reviewing the FAC proposed schedule to assess feasibility, incremental cost, and logistics of implementation. A working group will be immediately established between BC Ferries and FAC representatives to review this assessment and establish an acceptable pilot structure and schedule.
2. Work with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI): A direct Texada-Comox service establishes a new route in the BC Ferries system, and changes the amount of service provided between Texada and Powell River, something the original 2020 pilot did not do. These changes need to be approved by MOTI.
3. Work with the community to implement the pilot: Once the fundamentals of the pilot are in place, we will work with the FAC and the community to determine a launch date and engagement activities to evaluate the success of the trial etc.

Recognizing community efforts

We would like to thank the North Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee representatives Doug Nikirk and Warren Kiland for their diligent work in gathering community input and being advocates for this pilot service. We would also like to thank those who took the time to attend the community session on July 12. In addition to the feedback noted above, we heard clearly from you about the importance of enhancing our communication and engagement processes to ensure expectations, objectives, and constraints are clear, decision making is transparent, and action is timely.

We commit to working with the Ferry Advisory Committee to establish an acceptable option for the pilot in a timely manner, and engaging with the community as we move towards implementation.

How we engaged

On July 12, 2022 we hosted a community drop-in session and workshop at Gillies Bay Hall on Texada Island.

45 minute drop-in session: The drop-in session allowed participants to interact with BC Ferries staff to better understand the pilot options being presented, and to offer feedback on their preferences.

90 minute workshop: The drop-in session was followed by a workshop where BC Ferries provided an in-depth explanation of the viable options, and facilitated discussion with participants in small groups and in a larger plenary session.

What was discussed

Both potential pilot options involve using the Island Class vessel to provide direct service between Texada and Comox for specific sailings on specific days of the week. This means that a pilot would create gaps in sailing times between Texada and Powell River while the vessel makes the return trip(s) to/from Comox.

Given that the pilot will create gaps in the Texada - Powell River schedule during certain days of the week, our questions as we engaged the community were:

1. Does the community wish to the see the direct service pilot restarted given that both viable options will create gaps in the Texada-Powell River schedule?
2. If a pilot is desired, how many days of the week would the community like to have the pilot operate?
3. If a pilot is desired, what day(s) of the week would the community like to have direct service available?

For more information

You can view the options and the engagement materials from this session in the Engagement Materials section on the right hand side of the page.

What's next

The feedback provided during this session is now being compiled and a report on outcomes, including whether the pilot will be restarted and any future engagement opportunities, will be uploaded to this page shortly.

Please check back for updates, or sign up to receive proactive notifications when updates are posted by clicking the Stay Informed icon on the right hand side of the page.