Vancouver, BC – John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, has outlined a detailed plan to revamp BC Ferries, calling for greater accountability and modernization to improve services for coastal and island residents. Rustad highlighted BC Ferries as a lifeline for communities, businesses, and families, stressing that its mismanagement under the NDP government has led to unreliable services, aging vessels, and rising frustrations.
“BC Ferries connects coastal communities to the rest of BC, but the NDP’s negligence has caused bottlenecks and unreliable service,” said Rustad. “Coastal residents deserve better, and it’s time for real leadership.”
Central to Rustad’s proposal is a BC Ferries Charter, which will set clear expectations for the Ferry Authority. Leadership performance will be closely tied to service quality, and executive compensation will be linked to meeting delivery targets. Rustad also promised that if leadership fails to meet these standards, new management would be brought in to deliver the necessary results.
Rustad’s plan aims to ease the burden on frequent ferry users, such as commuters and workers. He pledged to create a monthly flat-fee program to make ferry travel more affordable and predictable for regular users, who he says have been hit hardest by rising costs and unreliable schedules.
Acknowledging the fleet’s aging infrastructure, Rustad promised to renew BC Ferries’ fleet through competitive procurement, with an emphasis on including domestic content to support local shipbuilding. This would help alleviate over-capacity issues, particularly on key routes such as Horseshoe Bay, Departure Bay, and Tsawwassen.
Rustad is also pushing for federal support to modernize BC Ferries and explore innovative solutions, such as electric autonomous ferries for walk-on passengers, modeled after successful European systems. He emphasized that such measures would reduce bottlenecks and increase efficiency.
In his closing remarks, Rustad reaffirmed the Conservative Party’s dedication to turning BC Ferries into a world-class, dependable transportation system that meets the needs of coastal residents, not political interests.
“It’s time to deliver real results for BC’s coastal communities,” Rustad concluded.