"Better than BC Ferries:" Hullo makes first Vancouver to Nanaimo sailings

"Better than BC Ferries:" Hullo makes inaugural Vancouver to Nanaimo sailings

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

When Disneyland first opened in 1955, nothing worked.

As the Los Angeles Times recalled during Disneyland’s 60th-anniversary celebrations, opening day at Disneyland saw rides breaking down, restaurants running out of food and drink, unfinished attractions, and women’s high-heeled shoes sinking into the fresh asphalt. Newspaper headlines at the time declared it was “Walt’s Nightmare,” and the media wrote it off by predicting a quick and early demise — but they were clearly wrong.

The message Hullo Ferries provided to media during Wednesday’s inaugural day of revenue service is they are ready to play the long game to be a major and integral part of the South Coast’s transportation network.

This is the first attempt for a high-speed passenger ferry service between downtown Vancouver and Vancouver Island in over 16 years since the short-lived service of Harbour Lynx when its single-vessel operation suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure.

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The shadow of the previous consecutive failed attempts to operate a high-speed passenger ferry service continues to loom over BC’s local waters, with other private catamaran and hovercraft ferry operators between the 1960s and 1990s also suffering similar fates.

But over the decades since these previous failures, there has been tremendous population, economic, and tourism growth. All the while, BC Ferries has seen a limited corresponding expansion of its services to meet the real unmet and latent demand for improved connectivity and the high level of reliability that is expected as an extension of the highway system.

After a shaky start with cancellations early this week, Hullo Ferries finally made its first successful scheduled sailings with fare-paying passengers on Wednesday.

The much-anticipated service of linking downtown Vancouver and downtown Nanaimo with high-speed, passenger-only catamaran ferries made its first sailing this morning, departing Vancouver Island at 10 am and arriving at the Coal Harbour terminal at 11:15 am.

At 11:20 am today, Hullo Ferries docked at its Coal Harbour terminal in downtown Vancouver.

Arriving from Nanaimo, this marks the high-speed ferry service’s first-ever successful sailing. pic.twitter.com/ZiclKCFjZs

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 16, 2023

Hullo Ferries’ first passengers disembarking at downtown Vancouver this morning. pic.twitter.com/9nl82ppqjn

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 16, 2023

hullo ferries vancouver nanaimo august 16 2023

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

Daily Hive Urbanized took the service’s second sailing, departing Coal Harbour at noon and arriving in Nanaimo Harbour at 1:15 pm.

The ride was smooth and quiet throughout the entire 75-minute sailing, passing by West Vancouver’s Ambleside Beach at 12:18 pm and Lighthouse Park at 12:25 pm. Following the Port of Vancouver’s navigation channel policies, the vessel did not begin to pick up its speed until the Ambleside Beach area.

The maximum speed that was reached over open water during the sailing was 40 knots (74 km/hr).

The seats, assigned prior to boarding, are comfortable and spacious across all three classes within their varying degrees.

We talked to a few of Hullo Ferries’ first passengers on this sailing to Nanaimo. They all had glowing reviews of the service.

“It was quick and smooth, and everyone was super friendly. Hopefully, it’ll get busier and will be part of our routine going forward,” Lisa from White Rock told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“It was better than BC Ferries. It was faster and different. But I also like the chill time of two hours on BC Ferries. If I’m in a hurry, I’ll take Hullo.”

Ren from Winnipeg said, “It is amazing. It is fast, comfortable, and I look forward to taking more trips. More importantly, though, we’re here because our friends, Mike and Brenda, invited us to Victoria, so this is a very good first experience coming to Vancouver Island.”

Local resident Betty said, “It was a fantastic sailing. Easy, comfortable. I’m about to get on the Gabriola Island ferry, maybe a 10-minute walk from here. It is better than BC Ferries, but I don’t have my bike, car, and my dog, so I have to make a choice. It was smoother than expected. I think it’s going to be awesome to have it here because we’ll be able to go to Vancouver International Airport easily, without waiting on the BC Ferries’ lines and reservations and all that. Everybody is happy, everyone is friendly… the crew is just trying to make it work.”

Nina from Vancouver shared, “We really like it. This is our family trip. It is very comfortable, and the pricing is quite reasonable… I think it’s better than BC Ferries. It’s good competition for the market, not just dominated by BC Ferries.”

And Deborah from Nanaimo said, “It is different than BC Ferries. It’s faster. Depends on what you’re doing. If you’re travelling with a large party of people, it’s going to be cost-effective to go on BC Ferries if you need a car to get out of Vancouver. But if you just need to go to downtown Vancouver, it’s great.”

The end-to-end travel time on Hullo Ferries is about 75 minutes. In contrast, the BC Ferries crossing time between West Vancouver and Nanaimo is 100 minutes each way, which does not include the driving time between downtown Vancouver and the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal.

Hullo Ferries is intended to not only provide more convenient transportation options, but a mid-tier option, with BC Ferries being the cheapest option and Harbour Air and Helijet being the upper-tier services.

The vessel leaving the dock in downtown Vancouver.https://t.co/VOhXYczYhQ pic.twitter.com/wFEMgmP5uW

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 17, 2023

Starting to pick up more speed as we exit Vancouver Harbour under the Lions Gate Bridge.https://t.co/VOhXYczYhQ pic.twitter.com/OhXzU20yHZ

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 17, 2023

Now picking up even more speed while passing by Ambleside Beach.https://t.co/VOhXYczYhQ pic.twitter.com/xCohT0B9Jv

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 17, 2023

Beginning to approach maximum speeds at Lighthouse Park.https://t.co/VOhXYczYhQ pic.twitter.com/zMlLzko8VL

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 17, 2023

Reaching 40 knots or 74 km/hr in open water in the Strait of Georgia.https://t.co/VOhXYczqsi pic.twitter.com/atLg6naRT4

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 17, 2023

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

But the very bright start to Wednesday was mired by the last-minute cancellation of the remaining two sailings of the day — leaving Nanaimo at 4:30 pm and leaving Vancouver at 6:30 pm on the same vessel. Daily Hive Urbanized was onboard the 4:30 pm cancellation.

Impacted passengers had their transportation costs covered to their next destination, including taxis and even Harbour Air and Helijet rides for individuals who had timely needs. Some passengers were also provided with hotel arrangements.

A Hullo spokesperson explained to Daily Hive Urbanized that Wednesday’s cancellations were due to a mechanical issue with the catamaran vessel. It required a part that was later collected from Vancouver, and the crews worked through the night to repair it in time for Thursday’s scheduled sailings, which are proceeding as planned.

Hullo Ferries has a fleet of two catamaran vessels, with the other vessel docked in Nanaimo adjacent to the problem vessel during Wednesday’s cancellations, but there was not enough time to mobilize the other vessel. Crews also proactively upgraded the part that was required, and the plan now is to have the second vessel ready to support the operations if future issues arise.

Learning from the failure of Harbour Lynx, the use of multiple vessels enables the continuity of service and better resiliency of the operation should there be an issue with another vessel.

Daily Hive Urbanized spoke to several passengers on Hullo Ferries’ cancelled 4:30 pm Nanaimo sailing onboard the 6:15 pm BC Ferries sailing between the Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay terminals. They were rooting for the new company’s success and highly appreciated the customer service that was provided in response to the cancellation, but expressed a desire to see a history of consecutive successful sailings before trying the service again.

Nearby at BC Ferries’ Duke Point terminal, there were also major disruptions in their services between Nanaimo and Tsawwassen when four sailings after 3:15 pm were cancelled due to an engine issue with the Coastal Renaissance vessel.

Although an open water wind warning of up to 47 knots (87 km/hr) by Environment Canada was also in effect at the time, that was not an issue for Wednesday’s Hullo Ferries cancellations.

Services on Monday and Tuesday were disrupted initially by a city power outage in the early morning hours of Monday, followed by sustained high winds in the Strait of Georgia of up to 33 knots (61 km/hr), with an Environment Canada wind warning also in effect.

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

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

Following the initial cancellations earlier this week, Hullo Ferries is temporarily operating on a reduced schedule of four sailings (two roundtrips) per day — 10 am and 4:30 pm from Nanaimo and 12 pm and 6:30 pm from Vancouver. This reduced schedule will remain until August 30.

Then starting on August 31, it will restore the service’s first and last sailings — departing Nanaimo at 6 am and 8:30 pm and departing Vancouver at 8 am and 10:30 pm. This increases the number of sailings to eight (four roundtrips).

For the time being, during this two-week-long soft-launch period, Hullo Ferries is also operating at a reduced capacity of about 80% — filling up to 290 of its 350-seat capacity. There were 189 passengers for Wednesday’s first sailing from Nanaimo and 115 passengers for the first sailing from Vancouver.

If all goes as planned, on August 31, the scheduled expansion will regrow Hullo Ferries’ capacity to 2,800 passengers per day.

“Really, it was just giving ourselves some time and methodically going over our systems, procedures, and processes, and making tweaks and adjustments where we needed to make sure the team is ready to move and maneuver the vessels,” Rupesh Amin, the co-founder of Hullo Ferries, told media at their Nanaimo terminal following Wednesday’s second successful sailing, explaining Monday and Tuesday’s cancellations.

He expressed confidence in the service becoming more resilient and reliable as the seasons progress, given that the Strait of Georgia and Burrard Inlet are, of course, known for their adverse conditions during the winter months.

He says there is not a single wind speed threshold that determines their sailing capability, but rather it also depends on multiple aspects, such as the direction of the wind and wave height. During Wednesday’s sailings, the wave heights were up to under a metre.

Ultimately, Amin says, their decision-making process prioritizes the safety and comfort of passengers.

“We should be able to sail anytime BC Ferries does and when Helijet and seaplanes are up in the air. But if mother nature decides there’s a different agenda for us, then we’ll have to take it as it comes,” said Amin, noting that they are currently making sure they set up their procedures for “long-term success.”

“The support has been amazing. Everyone understands we’re a coastal community, and these things do happen. The support from the community and all the passengers, everyone was super excited to be onboard and understanding of what happened over the last couple of days.”

“We’re here to stay,” he continued.

Xander France, the director of marketing, added Daily Hive Urbanized the crew of Hullo Ferries have prior mariner experience, including on cruise ships and BC Ferries, and they have experience navigating and understand the local coastal waters. Currently, the private company employs over 70 people in a wide range of roles.

“Safety is always first in mind. If it is ever a question of safety, we will not sail. We selected these vessels for their ability to travel in these seas, and a proven organization built these vessels,” said France, while also sharing the company’s long-term plan to grow its fleet size and expand with more routes.

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

Pay parking stations at Nanaimo terminal; Hullo Ferries’ inaugural day of service on August 16, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Fare machines at Nanaimo terminal; Hullo Ferries’ inaugural day of service on August 16, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

A limited number of bikes will be permitted onboard starting in the near future when a bike booking system is in place due to spacial constraints. E-bikes will not be permitted due to federal regulations. More permanent overall policies on bikes and large luggage will be established in early fall.

While the downtown Vancouver terminal location at Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre is highly central, walkable, and conveniently located near major public transit services, there are currently limited options for the Port of Nanaimo terminal. The Nanaimo terminal is currently about a 15-minute walk from Port Place Shopping Centre at the southern end of downtown Nanaimo.

Within weeks, Hullo Ferries will be launching a free shuttle service between their Nanaimo terminal and destinations within downtown Nanaimo. The driving time on a 24-seat shuttle bus will be about five minutes each way.

They are also working closely within the City of Nanaimo to have a bus route directly serve the terminal, in addition to partnerships with Modo and Evo car share and rideshare companies such as U-Ride.

A parking lot with about 400 stalls has been built adjacent to the Nanaimo terminal. Parking rates are set at $5 for three hours, a daily rate of $14, and a daily rate of $25 for an additional 24 hours.

Fares each way start at $39.99 for the Comfort (economy) class, with a one-time, first-sailing discount of $29.99.

Hullo Ferries shares a terminal building space with Helijet in Nanaimo. In Vancouver, it has opened a ticketing and customer service centre within a retail space on the east side of the Vancouver Convention Centre’s West Building, next to Chop Steakhouse & Bar.

hullo ferries vancouver terminal office f

Hullo Ferries’ customer service and ticketing office at the Vancouver Convention Centre’s West Building. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

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