Hey, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for — the third SeaBus is named the Burrard Pacific Breeze!

A big congratulations goes out to Robert Waldman, who was the only one to suggest the name out of over 1,200 entries.

“It was a no-brainer,” said Robert, who works at Hastings Park Racecourse. “B.C. is Canada’s Pacific province, and ‘breeze’ suggests the tropical [influenced] weather we often get around here.”

How did the name get picked? Once all the entries were in, the mayors from the North Shore selected their top six names. Then the 5,000+ members of the TransLink Listens Online Advisory Panel voted for the final choice.

For submitting the winning name, Robert gets to take part in the official launching and christening ceremonies and ride on the inaugural voyage of the Burrard Pacific Breeze. He also receives three three-zone monthly FareCards, which will certainly come in handy for Robert.

“I take the bus to work every day,” he says, “even though the others at work laugh and say, ‘you’ve got a car – why take the bus?’ But I love not having the hassle of traffic.”

As for the third SeaBus, the Burrard Pacific Breeze is currently being built and should be on the water in fall 2009. When the Breeze initially goes into service, the other two SeaBuses, the Burrard Otter and Burrard Beaver, will take turns getting a full refit.

Between them, the Burrard Otter and the Burrard Beaver provided over 5.5 million rides in 2008. Having all three SeaBuses in operation will allow capacity between Lonsdale Quay and Waterfront Station to be increased by 800 customers per hour, in each direction.

Congratulations again to Robert! The Pacific Breeze is a lovely name!