Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal

Horseshoe Bay is a major ferry terminal of BC Ferries in British Columbia, Canada. Located in the community of Horseshoe Bay, a neighbourhood of West Vancouver, the terminal provides a vehicle ferry link from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and to Bowen Island, a small island in the southern part of Howe Sound.

Horseshoe Bay
Ferry terminal
A ferry departing the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal.
General information
Location	6750 Keith Road West Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
Coordinates	49°22′35″N 123°16′16″W
Operated by	BC Ferries
Line(s)	Route 2–Departure Bay Route 3–Langdale Route 8–Snug Cove
Bus routes	3
Bus stands	1
Bus operators	West Vancouver Municipal Transit Coast Mountain Bus Company
Connections	TransLink buses  250  Vancouver  257  Vancouver Express  262  Lions Bay-Brunswick  262  Caulfeild
Construction
Parking	138 short-term spaces 460 long-term spaces
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	HSB[1]
Website	www.bcferries.com/travel-boarding/terminal-directions-parking-food/vancouver-horseshoe-bay/HSB
History
Opened	1951
Original company	Black Ball Lines
Key dates
1961	Acquired by the Government of British Columbia[2]
Passengers
2024	3 542 240[Note 1]  0.78%

Comprising three berths, Horseshoe Bay is the third largest BC Ferries terminal, after Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay.^{[citation needed]}

Establishment and expansion

In 1951, the Black Ball Line leased a wharf and began a service to Gibsons^[2] (later relocated to Langdale).^[3] In 1953, a new route to Departure Bay in Nanaimo was established.^[4] In 1956, services to Bowen Island began when Black Ball replaced the Union Steamship Company of British Columbia.^[5]

In 1961, the provincial government purchased the various Black Ball operations.^[6] In the late 1960s, the terminal was reconstructed and expanded.^[7][8] In 1976, a new upper deck loading ramp was built.^[9]

In 2002, substantial improvements were completed at a cost of $39 million, which primarily addressed traffic awaiting embarkation on ferries. Holding stalls increased from 650 to 1,265 by absorbing former highway, removing a freeway bridge and truck runaway lane, and reconfiguring a highway interchange. Additional construction included a 450-car underground parkade and new buildings for foot passengers, amenities and maintenance.^[10] A $250 million upgrade of the terminal is planned for the 2020s.^[11]

On March 28, 2022, the first seismic sensor for British Columbia's earthquake early warning system was installed at the Horseshoe Bay terminal.^[12]

Popular culture

Ferry rides from Horseshoe Bay are described by fictional characters in the novel The Cat's Table, by Booker Prize-winning author Michael Ondaatje, and in the short story What is Remembered, by Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro.

Incidents and accidents

• 1966: Langdale Queen ran over a nearby rowboat; both occupants survived.^[13]
• 1982: Queen of Surrey rammed the dock, causing significant damage.^[14]
• 1985: Three occupants were killed when Queen of Cowichan ran over a pleasure boat near the terminal.^[15]
• 1989: A structural steel load on an arriving truck shifted, striking seven parked vehicles and injuring two women in the holding lot.^[16]
• 1990: After brakes failed, a loaded truck struck a parked van and spilled hot asphalt, killing two of the occupants and injuring others.^[17] The truck driver received an 18-month sentence, increased to five years on appeal.^[18] At a new trial, the driver was found guilty of dangerous driving but not criminal negligence.^[19]
• 1991: Robbers stole $12,000 in coin from a safe at the terminal.^[20]
• 1995: Queen of Coquitlam slammed into pilings, damaging its bow.^[21]
• 2005: Queen of Oak Bay lost control and smashed into a number of private boats at the marina in Horseshoe Bay; no fatalities were reported.^[22]
• 2019: A crew member was significantly injured after being hit by the Queen of Cowichan's bow door, which was having trouble opening at the terminal.^[23]
• 2022: A minor rock slide on January 2 closed the parkade for rock removal and structural repairs. The parkade was re-opened on May 18, 2022.^[24][25]
• 2025: A TransLink bus crashed into the bus stop next to the foot passenger area killing a pedestrian and injuring another.

Gallery

• 
  Cars lining up at the terminal.
• 
  A ferry departing the terminal.
• 
  Queen of Oak Bay departing the terminal.
• 
  Entrance to the terminal.
• 
  Queen of Capilano arrives at the terminal.

Notes

1. Figures obtained for 2023 & 2024 from adding the passengers counted at Horseshoe Bay from the routes 2, 3, and 8 in each month of the calendar year.^[1] The figures under "Total Prev Year" are not used because those denote fiscal years instead of calendar years. The total passenger count at Horseshoe Bay for 2023 was 3 514 666.