Hullo Ferries adds more daily Vancouver-Nanaimo sailings amidst strong ridership

Passengers waiting to board a Hullo Ferries ship at the Vancouver terminal on August 25, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Exactly two weeks after its initial launch, Hullo Ferries has reaffirmed its plans to boost the number of sailings it operates each day between downtown Vancouver and downtown Nanaimo.

The high-speed, passenger-only catamaran ferry service will increase its frequencies from the current four sailings (two round-trips) per day to eight sailings (four round-trips) per day over this Labour Day long weekend period — between Thursday, August 31 and Monday, September 4.

With an expected spike in transportation demand between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, this long weekend will see daily departures from Nanaimo at 6 am, 10 am, 4:30 pm, and 8:30 pm, and from Vancouver at 8 am, 12 pm, 6:30 pm, and 10:30 pm.

There is so much unmet demand over the long weekend that some BC Ferries reservations over the period have become a hot commodity and are now being sold online by travellers.

Then after Labour Day, throughout the rest of the month of September, Hullo Ferries will have a regular increased schedule of six sailings (three round-trips) daily, with the continued operation of the early scheduled departures from Nanaimo at 6 am and from Vancouver at 8 am.

You might also like:

In an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized on Wednesday, Hullo Ferries CEO Alastair Caddick says the majority of the demand of the service to date has been within the late morning and mid-day periods. The ongoing early morning sailings are intended to capture more of the commuter demand.

While Hullo Ferries initially had a rough start with weather-related issues and then vessel mechanical problems, it has had two consecutive full weeks of smooth sailings with zero cancellations.

“Since then, we’ve had really great service levels, departing on time, nearly full boats, and our passengers have been so positive and are really appreciating the service, the connectivity of connecting downtown to downtown,” he said.

They have also sold out their interim soft launch capacity of 290 seats per sailing several times, which is about 80% of the maximum 350-seat capacity onboard each of the two vessels.

Great passenger numbers for #Hullo Ferries’ last sailings on its first-ever Sunday. On time, too. ⛴⛴

260+ disembarking in #Vancouver at 5:45 pm.

~210 embarking to #Nanaimo at 6:30 pm.

Note: Capacity temporarily limited to 80% during soft launch period. #bcpoli #vanpoli pic.twitter.com/pUSi16tFZw

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 21, 2023

The queue for Hullo Ferries’ 6:30 pm sailing to Nanaimo. Good to see. pic.twitter.com/cAEyY6QUTm

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 21, 2023

Hullo Ferries says it sold out this morning’s 10 am sailing departing Nanaimo.

That’s 290 seats filled under the current 80% temporary capacity limit. Each ship seats up to 350 passengers. #bcpoli #vanpoli https://t.co/VOhXYczYhQ pic.twitter.com/HrxJ45q1pT

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) August 23, 2023

Long snaking lines of passengers waiting to board have also been observed at the downtown Vancouver terminal, which provides a very good sign of the service’s popularity.

“We’ve been conservative by purposefully putting a cap on the number of seats that we sell so that there’s always a few remaining seats for any walk-ons and to ensure there’s space for everybody,” he said.

Fares start at $39.99 for the Comfort (economy) class, with a one-time discount of $10.00 for a passenger’s first experience on the service.

Passengers waiting to board a Hullo Ferries ship at the Vancouver terminal on August 25, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The ships can handle more severe wind and wave conditions

Ever since the weather-related sailing cancellations on Monday, August 14 and Tuesday, August 15, when Environment Canada issued gale-force wind warnings for the marine area between Nanaimo and Metro Vancouver, there have been some public concerns with the reliability and resiliency of service in adverse conditions.

But Caddick clarifies that the reason for those cancellations was related to the comfort of passengers, not the technical limits of the vessels.

Elsewhere in the world, similarly sized high-speed catamaran vessels, which are quite common in use for passenger ferries, are known for sailing through rougher seas.

In fact, ever since those cancellations, Hullo Ferries’ crew have taken the vessels through larger waves and higher wind speeds, he says. And they are now comfortable with sailing in those conditions.

“As a catamaran, it has two hulls, so it is very stable in wind and waves. We were being extra cautious about passenger comfort. What we didn’t want to do on our inaugural sailings out of an abundance of caution was to have very rough seas. We just didn’t think it would be appropriate to have our first guests have a potentially uncomfortable experience,” he said.

“The vessels can handle it. It’s not a matter of whether the vessels can go through bigger waves and more powerful winds.”

hullo ferries vancouver terminal august 20 2023 f

Hullo Ferries ship at the Vancouver terminal on August 20, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

While the vessels can handle more adverse conditions, he says there will likely be days in the fall and winter when it is too windy or the waves are too big, resulting in decisions to cancel sailings. BC Ferries, Harbour Air, and Helijet are also known for cancelling their trips in such conditions.

He says the sailing condition regulations for the vessel are mainly with wave heights but a lesser degree with wind speed, although it is correlated. This is regulated by their company’s internal policies, the ship manufacturer, and Transport Canada.

“It will happen again, but we’re gaining better knowledge every day on what conditions is still a comfortable experience for our guests. We’re learning,” said Caddick. “It’s all about passenger safety and comfort.”

When it comes to the vessel’s mechanical issues that resulted in the last sailings being cancelled on Wednesday, August 16, the problematic vessel was fixed overnight in time for the next day’s sailings, and proactive measures were also taken to prevent similar mechanical issues with the other vessel. This also includes improving the ability to mobilize the alternate vessel on a standby basis. As well, not only are there multiple vessels for redundancy, but each vessel is also built with multiple engines, which means the vessels can still operate with the failure of some engines.

“What we as an organization can do is to be empathetic to those cancellations and be really good at handling the cancellation process. We learned a lot in our first week, and we’re going to bring that forward,” he added.

The brand-new vessels, built in Vietnam, were delivered to Hullo Ferries in late July 2023, and local trials were conducted over the subsequent weeks prior to the scheduled launch in mid-August 2023.

While the vessels operate at relatively slow speeds within the harbours of Vancouver and Nanaimo, following local marine traffic regulations, they reach a maximum sailing speed of about 40 knots (74 km/hr) over open water in the Strait of Georgia, which enables end-to-end travel times of about 75 minutes.

Passengers waiting to board a Hullo Ferries ship at the Vancouver terminal on August 25, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Improved terminal amenities, including a free shuttle bus

Caddick says improved terminal facilities for greater passenger comfort during the embarking and disembarking process are on the way.

This includes the creation of a “guest experience centre” at the Nanaimo terminal that will protect passengers from the weather and wind. Currently, Hullo Ferries’ indoor terminal and ticketing facilities are co-located inside a Nanaimo Port Authority building with Helijet. Construction has already begun on Hullo Ferries’ dedicated facility.

But he notes that improving their downtown Vancouver terminal facilities to a great degree is more challenging due to spatial limits in and around Vancouver Convention Centre and Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre, where the terminal is located.

Currently, the company has a ticketing and customer service office located within a small retail unit next to Chop Steakhouse & Bar on the east side of the convention centre’s West Building.

The defunct V2V Vacations, which operated a luxury catamaran service to Victoria, previously used a large retail unit next to De Dutch as its lounge, ticketing, and customer service space, but it is now occupied by a dermatology clinic.

Currently, the terminal gangways in Vancouver are exposed to the elements, and only a portion of the walking path between the Nanaimo terminal and pier is covered.

“We’re exploring ways to protect our guests from wind and rain, and that’ll be everything from umbrellas and creating protected areas, but we’re not able to build something new on the docks,” he said.

Passengers waiting to board a Hullo Ferries ship at the Vancouver terminal on August 25, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

hullo ferries vancouver terminal august 25 2023 5

Passengers waiting to board a Hullo Ferries ship at the Vancouver terminal on August 25, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Prior to the pandemic, a different private entity proposed operating a similar high-speed, passenger-only catamaran service between Vancouver and Nanaimo, and it had entered discussions with TransLink and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority on using the outside berths of the SeaBus terminal at Waterfront Station.

Caddick says Hullo Ferries considered the option of pursuing the use of the SeaBus terminal but ultimately chose Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre after weighing the advantages.

There were logistical issues with using the SeaBus terminal, such as the access issues with TransLink’s fare gates for entering Waterfront Station. He says the seaplane terminal location is also a “nicer guest experience” with its adjacency to restaurants and Jack Poole Plaza, and passengers can still connect to the major public transit services easily.

Another improvement for the Nanaimo terminal will be the launch of a new free shuttle bus service sometime soon in September. He says the bus vehicle they acquired is ready for operations, with servicing and branding work completed, but the exact start date of its trips between the Nanaimo terminal and downtown Nanaimo is dependent on receiving permits from the provincial government and finalizing insurance.

The shuttle bus seats 24 people. Currently, it is about a 15-minute walk between the terminal entrance and Port Place Shopping Centre at the southern end of downtown Nanaimo. But the free bus ride will cut down the travel time to less than five minutes for reaching the central areas of the city centre.

The Nanaimo terminal building has a dedicated free pick-up and drop-off area for taxis, rideshare, and friends and family.

For those who drive themselves, the new pay parking lot at the Nanaimo terminal has a capacity for about 400 vehicles, with rates of $5.00 for the first three hours, $14.00 per day for the first 24 hours, and $25.00 per day for additional 24 hour periods.

There are some spaces for bikes on the vessels, and the company is still in the process of creating a booking system for it. From the outset, they have said e-bikes and e-scooters are not permitted due to the federal government’s safety regulations on lithium batteries.

Each vessel has four designated wheelchair spots, along with space to accommodate collapsible strollers. For luggage, passengers are welcome to bring a carry-on-sized bag and personal items. Small pets inside a pet carrier that fits on the passenger’s lap or feet during the entire sailing are also welcome.

Passengers waiting to board a Hullo Ferries ship at the Vancouver terminal on August 25, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

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)

Fast onboard WiFi

High-speed WiFi connectivity is provided onboard Hullo Ferries’ vessels as an amenity to pass the time during the sailing, providing a bridge to cellular connectivity when it falls out of range in the Strait of Georgia.

In 2021, BC Ferries removed onboard WiFi for all of its major routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island due to their inability to provide reliable connectivity.

For a limited time, all passengers onboard, regardless of their seating class, will have the same free high-speed WiFi access — good enough for streaming videos. This type of connectivity is rare for a passenger ferry.

Hullo Ferries’ onboard WiFi uses the technology of the Ka-band satellite network by California-based Viasat, which is a known supplier of in-flight connectivity for major commercial airlines — such as Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Sichuan Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Porter Airlines, and Icelandair — and for remote areas.

“Hullo’s service launch marks a welcome disruption to the expectations of connectivity on a passenger ferry service,” said Shameem Hashmi, vice president of global markets with Viasat.

In the future, there will be different free WiFi connectivity speed levels based on seating class. Comfort (economy) passengers will still have basic free WiFi suitable for emailing and texting, while passengers in the Premium and Business classes will retain their existing free high-speed WiFi connectivity suitable for streaming. Passengers in the Comfort class will have the option of purchasing the same higher-quality WiFi enjoyed by Premium and Business passengers.

All passengers have access to USB and electrical sockets in their seats. Amongst a number of elevated perks, Business class passengers receive a complimentary beverage and snack.

hullo ferries vancouver terminal august 25 2023 f5

Passengers disembarking a Hullo Ferries ship at the Vancouver terminal on August 25, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

You might also like: