Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal

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″N123°16′16″W / 49.37639°N 123.27111°W / 49.37639; -123.27111
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%

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.

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. ^[26]

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.

References

1. "Plans, Reports, Policies and Other Resources". Connecting the Coast | BC Ferries. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
2. "Horseshoe Bay". hp.bccna.bc.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
3. Little, Gary. "Black Ball Ferries 1951–1961". www.garylittle.ca.
4. "New Ferry Link for Nanaimo". The Daily Colonist . Victoria, British Columbia. 30 Sep 1952. p. 3 – via Internet Archive.
5. Crilly, Martin Laurence (1973). Analysis of British Columbia Ferries and its Commercial Vehicle Policy (MBA). University of British Columbia. p. 70 (57).
6. "CP Considering Ways to Compete With Black Ball". Prince George Citizen . 6 Dec 1961. p. 1 – via Prince George Newspapers.
7. "Bids Opened On Terminal". The Daily Colonist . Victoria, British Columbia. 4 Nov 1967. p. 10 – via Internet Archive.
8. The British Columbia Road Runner. Vol. 5, no. 3. Department of Highways. Sep 1968. p. 2 https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/reports-and-reference/road-runner/newsletters/1968_09_september.pdf#page=2.{{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. "New ferry hurdles obstacles". The Daily Colonist . Victoria, British Columbia. 27 Jul 1976. p. 41 – via Internet Archive.
10. Furtado, Glen, M.A.Sc., EIT; Hobbs, Steve, P.Eng (1 Jan 2003). "TRANSPORTATION: Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal". Canadian Consulting Engineer. Association of Canadian Engineering Companies.
11. Chan, Kenneth (19 Sep 2019). "BC Ferries planning world-class hub upgrade for Horseshoe Bay terminal (RENDERINGS)". Daily Hive . Vancouver: ZoomerMedia.
12. Kotyk, Alyse (29 March 2022). "1st sensor for Canada's early earthquake warning system installed in B.C." CTV News . Bell Media. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022.
13. "Man 'Run Over' By Ferry". Prince George Citizen . 24 Jan 1966. p. 5 – via Prince George Newspapers.
14. "Bad month on ferries". Prince George Citizen . 1 Sep 1982. p. 3 – via Prince George Newspapers.
15. "Boat operators blamed for deaths". Prince George Citizen . 7 Mar 1986. p. 9 – via Prince George Newspapers.
16. "Two hurt at terminal". Prince George Citizen . 18 Jul 1989. p. 2 – via Prince George Newspapers.
17. "Grieving man lashes out after ferry terminal mishap". Prince George Citizen . 10 Jul 1990. p. 2 – via Prince George Newspapers.
18. "Out on bail". Prince George Citizen . 4 Sep 1992. p. 2 – via Prince George Newspapers.
19. "Truck driver guilty". Prince George Citizen . 13 Feb 1995. p. 2 – via Prince George Newspapers.
20. "Heavy money". Sunshine Coast News. 18 May 1991. p. 8 – via UBC Library.
21. "Ferry slams into pilings". Prince George Citizen . 21 Oct 1995. p. 17 – via Prince George Newspapers.
22. "Marine Investigation Report M92W1022". Transportation Safety Board of Canada. 24 May 2007.
23. NanaimoNewsNOW Staff (19 Oct 2019). "Ferry worker injured on Queen of Cowichan hospitalized, 2 sailings cancelled". NanaimoNewsNOW.
24. Judd, Amy (January 3, 2022). "Rock slide forces closure of BC Ferries parkade at Horseshoe Bay terminal". Global News . Corus Entertainment . Retrieved 2023-07-31.
25. @BCFerries (2022-05-18). "#BCFHeadsUp – The parkade at our #HorseshoeBay Terminal has been fully repaired and is now open for business! We sincerely appreciate your patience throughout the repairs. ^ab" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-07-31– via Twitter.
26. {{4-year-old dead, 2 women injured in bus crash near West Vancouver ferry terminal: police. (2025). In CBC. Retrieved July 24, 2025, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/west-vancouver-pedestrian-collision-1.7546537

49°22′32″N123°16′19″W / 49.37560°N 123.27182°W / 49.37560; -123.27182