[2] The Bowen Island ferry has no official or common name, and is only numbered as route 8, though this is likely only intended for internal documentation.

Initially a passenger-only route, the Bowen Island ferry was begun in 1921 by John Hilton Brown, a British shipmaster, under the name Sannie Transportation Company.

This Union subsidiary was named Howe Sound Ferries Limited, although the boats were registered to the Sannie Transportation Company.

The remaining Sannie Horseshoe Bay ferries had difficulty meeting demand, and Bowen Island residents petitioned for better service.

The Black Ball Line had been operating in British Columbia since 1951, when some vessels were moved north from Puget Sound after the other assets were purchased by the state of Washington.

[8][9] The Bowen Island ferry has been supplemented over many decades by a dozen or more Howe Sound water taxi companies providing on-demand trips and occasional scheduled shuttles.