The Nanaimo-Vancouver foot passenger ferry service has now been operating one year, and valuable lessons have been learned in that time.
Alastair Caddick, Hullo's chief executive officer, told the News Bulletin that the company has built on the experiences learned from Day 1.
While service was slated to start Aug. 14, 2023, windy weather and a power outage delayed the maiden voyages of the Sthuqi’ and Spuhéls vessels by two days. The Sthuqi’ had 189 passengers in its inaugural sailing to Vancouver on Aug. 16.
"Our crews have had the chance to sail these vessels in different conditions, everything from calm seas to windy seas, rainy weather, winter weather and … we've made adjustments," Caddick said. "It's either the direction we're going or the speed we're going and so that certainly improved our reliability, just through through experience and through training."
There haven't been any major mechanical issues, he said, and the company has an eye on any problems that may arise.
"We're already looking at the fall and winter and planning when we need to do some of that major work," Caddick said. "It's no different than your car, right? … we plan ahead when we're going to do a hull inspection through a dry dock, when we're going to do a major engine maintenance work and by planning ahead, that preventative work will also create a schedule that allows that to happen."
Adrienne Mercer Breen, a Nanaimo resident, has travelled via Hullo half a dozen times to attend events such as the Pacific National Exhibition and a Rolling Stones concert. She also points to a day trip to the Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver, when she decided on a whim to go see an exhibit, made a booking, left an hour later, and was back home before dinner.
In terms of potential improvements to service, Caddick noted that there is an indoor waiting area in Nanaimo, but not in Vancouver, something Hullo is actively working to rectify.
"We know that on the Vancouver side, you're quite exposed to either the rain, snow or cold while you're waiting to board," he said. "Getting a waiting area where our guests can wait out of the elements in the fall and winter, that would be certainly on our wish list. We just have to be patient for a space to open up and for us to grow into that."
Caddick said 400,000 people have used the ferry service over the course of 3,200 sailings across the Salish Sea, and Hullo has successfully delivered 99.3 per cent of its sailing schedule. Having two brand-new vessels is beneficial, he said.
"Vessels do need maintenance. Sometimes they have emergencies, unplanned events that may take it out of service for a couple of days," said the CEO. "Because we've got two vessels, when something like that happens, we can continue to operate a scheduled service because we have a second vessel. That has certainly helped Hullo achieve some of the reliability success we've had."
Since the launch of the fast ferries, Hullo has added shuttle bus service to and from downtown Nanaimo, and Regional District of Nanaimo Transit has added a bus stop at the 100 Port Way site as well.
Some passengers have complained about sailing on rough waters and while Mercer Breen was advised to take Gravol before her first sailing, she said her experiences on Hullo ferries have instead turned out to be "smooth and pleasant."
