BC Ferries has been in the news a lot these days (not in a good way) and I thought that as a former Islander, I would take a little time to address my experiences with the beleaguered, over-priced water taxi.
When you live on the Island and you want to get off of it, you end up planning your life around the BC Ferry schedule. The schedule, every two hours on the odd hour, is burned into your psyche and you plan your trip based on whether or not you'll miss a ferry and if you'll be driving into rush hour on the Mainland.
Driving into the Swartz Bay Ferry terminal after you've literally just missed the boat, you will be irritated every single time because on the Island side of the terminal, there is nothing to do and only terrible cafeteria food. There is not even good coffee. If you could walk on the beach, that would pass the time in a pleasant way but you are surrounded by cement risers and chain link fences. You will say to your significant other: "I wish we were trapped on the Tsawwassen side so we could at least play Keno and eat pistachio gelato." Instead, we do the crossword and read the paper waiting for the next boat and pray that it's not an older ferry.
Islanders will recognize other Islanders on the ferry. These are the people who either stay in their vehicles and nap or they have run up and snatched a window seat and then pretended to be napping so they don't have to put their feet down. The Islanders know that you should eat before you get on the ferry unless you want to be herded through a cattle-like cafeteria line-up, to be served greasy food that will make you sick depending on the choppiness of the ride. The Islanders also know that you have at least twenty minutes to get back to your car after the announcements come on so there is no need to race down to your vehicle like someone is stealing your car.
Most of the time, when you are on a BC Ferry, you are wishing the ride was cheaper, faster or that you see an orca when you are outside on deck. You develop routines on the Ferry: try to name all the islands in the Pass, walk around every deck and try to spot people you know, try to see a whale before the tourists do or you nap in your vehicle. The ferries are a part of your life when you live on the Island, good or bad. They are a part of the highway system in BC and they should be priced accordingly, free. Everyone in BC should be able to travel to the province's capital city for a minimal amount of money and no one who lives on an island shouldn't feel like they can't afford to get off of it. People who live on the islands are a part of this province and shouldn't be worried that their ferry will be taken away.
