Salmon Runner
Ferry Rush
Nov 25, 2021

Dear Loyal Users of the Ferry Rush BC iPhone App,

Ferry Rush was first developed in 2014 to solve a problem: It would take several clicks and page loads on the BC Ferries website to get information about how full the next ferry was.

What if there was an app that knew your regular route, and could present ferry capacity for the next ferry, based on location, with no clicks? What if checking ferry capacity was as simple as checking the weather?

In it's design, I wanted to make something that was better for both the user, and BC Ferries. By loading the data for the entire user interface in one page load, cell phone data usage was negligible.

The app succeeded. As of the last update, the app was installed on approximately 50k phones, and 1k - 3k ferry travellers used the app every day.

Along the way, there were setbacks. BC Ferries occasionally made changes to their website that presented data in a new way. These changes were welcome, as they usually improved the experience for ferry travellers, but they would break Ferry Rush. Each time, I would get Ferry Rush working again.

There were also premium features. Those who paid a small fee (less than a latte), got lifetime access to commuter features in version 2 and most recently, version 3. Each time the app was completely rewritten from scratch.

The app went from Objective-C, to pure Swift, to pure SwiftUI. Version 3 even had an Apple Watch version.

I am sad to say that in mid-November, 2021, BC Ferries made a change that will end the life of Ferry Rush. Here it is in a nutshell: The BC Ferries website had a webpage that contained the schedule and loads for every departure. Ferry Rush used this page as a source of truth, and would then use other pages for insight features, such as using an algorithm to forecast delays. For the first time since 2014, BC Ferries has eliminated the webpage that contained this source of truth.

I could adapt Ferry Rush's data model to work again, but this would eliminate every advantage to the user: it would require multiple page loads in the background before the app starts, making it slower and using more data, and the "weather app"-style user interface would no longer be possible. The no-hands approach that was so useful would be limited to only a select few who had all their settings set up perfectly. It would be an inferior product.

In developing Ferry Rush, I aimed to save us all time and reduce stress levels with an app that was extremely practical, fast and a pleasure to use. I wanted an app that I would use myself, and that meant no nagging, no subscriptions, no privacy issues, and no advertising. I love user interface design, and I love coding. I made use of every upgrade opportunity to learn new things. This was my hobby, and I was proud of it.

If I fixed Ferry Rush this time, it would result in an inferior product. It's not a matter of development time, which would be negligible. It's a matter of functionality. I'm not willing to make compromises. The app was removed from the app store with a 4.6/5 rating, over an 8 year period. I am very proud of that.

With a long think and a walk in the forest, today I have made the decision to shutter Ferry Rush, forever.

What now? I am personally going to do the following: Go to this page at BC Ferries, hit the "Share" button on iPhone, and scroll down to "Add to Home Screen". It will then become an icon amongst the other apps on my phone. If you use the same route every day, go to the specific route, and add that to your homescreen.

Thank you for using and enjoying the app. I have heard from many of you, especially the Sunshine Coast crew. Your support along the way brought a smile to my face.

Feel free to email me at:
email