Hullo Ferries records milestone of over 250,000 passengers

Vancouver terminal; Hullo Ferries' inaugural day of service on August 16, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The new high-speed passenger-only ferry service linking downtown Vancouver and Nanaimo has posted some strong ridership and reliability statistics.

According to a release today, Hullo Ferries has now recorded over 250,000 passengers onboard its two 350-seat catamaran vessels, which reach speeds of up to 70 km/hour in the Strait of Georgia to achieve its travel time of about 75 minutes each way.

Hullo reached the previous milestones of 100,000 passengers in December 2023 and 150,000 passengers in February 2024.

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Also, since soft launching in mid-August 2023, it has completed over 95% of its scheduled sailings and successfully made 100% of its scheduled sailings in April 2024. The service has not been immune to service disruptions due to weather, mechanical/maintenance issues, or labour shortages.

The private company’s workforce has grown from eight employees to 100 employees, with 80% of the workforce living on Vancouver Island.

“Our rapid expansion and overwhelming support from both locals and visitors demonstrate the demand for our reliable service and the positive impact we’re making on the region,” said Alastair Caddick, CEO of Hullo, in a statement.

“Our commitment to safety and reliability is clear in our excellent performance in sailing to our schedule and departing on time. We are extremely confident that our sailing reliability will get even better.”

Since March 2024, Hullo has been operating its highest frequencies yet, with six roundtrip sailings (12 sailings) on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, and three roundtrip sailings (six sailings) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. These frequencies will be maintained between June and August 2024, with some changes to the specific sailing timings. As well, in July and August, a seventh roundtrip sailing will be added for late night on Saturdays only.

This does not include Hullo’s special late-night sailings, which coincide with sports events and concerts in downtown Vancouver, providing Vancouver Island residents with a more convenient and accessible way of enjoying such events.

Hullo’s Nanaimo terminal is also served by a BC Transit bus route, and the company operates a free shuttle bus between the terminal and select destinations in downtown Nanaimo. More recently, Evo announced the expansion of its car share and e-bike share services at Hullo’s Nanaimo terminal.

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