Victoria, B.C. – Ferry passengers will soon be able to surf the Internet while skimming the waters of Active Pass.
B.C. Ferries says it will launch wireless Internet service on some of its ships next month to provide free web access for those who suffer Internet withdrawal during the 95-minute voyage from Victoria to the mainland.
“We’ll be piloting it on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay run as well as at those two terminals,” said Deborah Marshall, B.C. Ferries spokesperson. “If it is successful, we will expand it to the two other mainland Vancouver Island routes and the associated terminals” in Nanaimo, Duke Point and Horseshoe Bay, said Marshall.
The ferry corporation is keeping mum on some details – such as what kind of technology has been selected to provide the service – until an official announcement next month.
It has taken ferries staff around two years to get the idea from the drawing board to reality because of the difficulty maintaining a steady data connection to a moving ship, said Marshall.
Parts of the route are also a challenge for cellphone reception.
While the service will be free, passengers will not be allowed to access streaming audio or video on the ferry WiFi network in order to save bandwidth, said Marshall. “We don’t really know how many customers will tap into it,” she said. “We imagine it will be quite popular.”
There will also be filters to block access to inappropriate sites, said Marshall.
Wireless Internet is the latest in a series of up-scale service announcements for the ferry corporation, which has already created a new travel wing – B.C. Ferries Vacations – as well as in-ship spa service, offering pedicures, manicures and massages. The spa service has been “really well-received by our customers” and will continue on limited runs, Thursday through Monday, on the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route, said Marshall.
rfshaw@tc.canwest.com
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