BC Ferries is currently putting together its plans for the next generation of ferries to go into service for communities along the BC coast and part of their work was a recent engagement process to hear from customers and passengers as to what they are looking for from the vessels of the future.
Yesterday, the Ferry Corporation released some of the findings from that work, with BC Ferries making note of the main themes explored.
The first phase of engagement focused on nine topic areas, including: accessibility, pedestrians and cyclists, pet spaces, outdoor spaces, food and beverage, family spaces, new amenities, technology, and additional thoughts and key considerations like sustainability and future flexibility to meet changing needs.
Feedback included, for example, requests for more space and amenities for pet owners, more diversity in fresh food choices, improved areas for bicycle storage and quiet areas away from technology and noise, among other topics.
Other considerations included flexibility to meet changing travel demands and reducing the company’s environmental impact.
In particular, thoughts about reducing waste, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and minimizing air and noise emissions topped the list of considerations.
BC Ferries is committed to engaging those who are impacted by the company’s decisions and incorporating the feedback into the decision-making process wherever possible.
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| Some of the suggestions from BC Ferries customers when it comes to what they want to see in the next generation of vessels for the Ferry Corporation (click to enlarge) |
The contributions from their customers provided BC Ferries President and CEO Mark Collins with much to take into the vessel design process ahead.
“We’re excited about how many customers participated in these conversations and the ideas we heard on how we can improve their experience while travelling with us. We look forward to taking the feedback we heard, along with the results from our technical studies, to inform the design requirements for these new ferries.”
BC Ferries is working towards building at least four new ferries to replace four existing vessels, with the focus currently on those serving the busy Vancouver-Victoria, Vancouver-Nanaimo corridor.
The vessels up for replacement include the four current Queens of the fleet: Queen of New Westminster, Queen of Alberni, Queen of Coquitlam and Queen of Cowichan
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| The Queen of New Westminster one of four vessels slated for replacement as BC Ferries prepares to design new vessels for the fleet |
In their information release of Thursday, BC ferries identified some of the key elements that the new vessels will feature.
When it comes to designing the ships, BC Ferries’ key priorities are safety, environmental sustainability, underwater radiated noise (URN) and capacity. The company has been an early and active participant in efforts to reduce GHGs and URN.
Each new class of ships BC Ferries builds is cleaner and quieter than the ships they replace. For more information on BC Ferries’ long-term plans, see its Underwater Radiated Noise Mitigation Plan and Clean Technology Adoption Plan.
There are plans for further engagement later this year, as BC Ferries looks to learn more about what travellers will be looking for from the next generation of vessels.
You can learn more about their fleet modernization plans here.
For items of note related to BC Ferries on the North Coast and Haida Gwaii see our archive page here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review.
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