As promised in the November Buzzer, here are all the details for the Name the New SeaBus contest!

If you hadn’t heard, our third SeaBus will arrive in 2009, and we want you to name it. If your suggestion is picked, you’ll win three 3-zone Transit Passes, and a ride on the inaugural sailing! (The three passes will be for any three consecutive months you choose.)

Send us your name, phone number, and SeaBus name suggestion by midnight on November 21, using one of the following three methods:

• Send an email to seabus_name@translink.bc.ca
• Use the form at the Name the SeaBus contest entry page
• Or send real paper mail to “Name The New SeaBus”, TransLink, 1600 – 4720 Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4N2 (either write us a letter or use this entry form, which can also be found in your local weekly newspaper)

A panel of judges will choose the best five names, and then the 5,000+ members of the TransLink Listens Online Advisory Panel will vote for the final choice. (Anyone can join TransLink Listens, so sign up at the website if you’re interested.)

Edit: Sadly enough, employees of TransLink, its subsidiaries, related companies, transit service contractors and the household members of any of the above are not eligible to participate in the Contest. You can see the official rules for more information.

So what are the names of the other two SeaBuses?

They are the Burrard Otter and the Burrard Beaver, and they have served the Lower Mainland for 31 years! The Burrard Otter was named for the animal you might see while crossing between Lonsdale Quay and Waterfront Station, while the Burrard Beaver was named in part for the historic steamship that served the coast between Portland and Vancouver until it ran aground in 1888.

The third SeaBus will start service alongside the Otter and the Beaver in late 2009. It will first take over service for each of the SeaBuses in turn, giving the Otter and the Beaver some time off to get upgraded and overhaul their engines. (All the while, SeaBus will maintain 15-minute service during peak periods.)

Then, when all three ferries are fully operational, weekday service will increase to 10-minute intervals during peak periods and 15-minute service at off-peak times, in anticipation of rising demand.

So pull out your dictionary and thesaurus! And remember, the ferry will be stuck with the name for a very long time!