Kids will soon be able to board the Q to Q ferry for free.
The city has announced that children 12 and under will be able to ride the Q to Q ferry for free starting on Feb. 1. The free service is in keeping with the provincial Get on Board program.
The ferry service, operated by Bowen Land and Sea Taxi (BLaST), transports passengers between the Queensborough and Quayside neighbourhoods.
Under the Get on Board program, children aged 12 and under can ride on TransLink and BC Transit services for free. As of Sept. 1, 2021, children aged 12 and under are able to ride TransLink services free of charge (details at www.tinyurl.com/kidsrideforfree).
“It was important that the Q to Q was consistent with recent initiatives to provide free transit to youth in the province,” said Mayor Jonathan Cote, who also chairs the Mayors Council on Regional Transportation. “I am hopeful the move will make the Q to Q more accessible and encourage youth and their families to use this service.”
In late 2018, city council received a delegation from the B.C. Poverty Reduction Coalition asking it to support the All On Board campaign, which supported free transit for children and youth zero to 18 and a sliding scale pass for other riders to ensure society’s most vulnerable and marginalized citizens can access the transit system. Council approved a motion in support of the coalition’s request.
In March 2020, the Q to Q ferry ceased operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it resumed service in November 2020 with a limited schedule.
The current weekday schedule has the ferry leaving Quayside every 30 minutes between 7 and 10:30 a.m. and between 3:15 and 6:45 p.m.
It leaves Queensborough every 30 minutes from 7:15 to 10:45 a.m. and from 3:30 to 7 p.m.
On weekends and statutory holidays, the ferry leaves Quayside every 30 minutes from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In Queensborough, it departs every half hour from 11:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
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