Hullo Ferries arrived on time with over 120 passengers this afternoon as they came back from Vancouver.
The vessel, Stuqhi, carried over 300 passengers in total on the round trip from Nanaimo to Vancouver and received glowing reviews on the service they gave to customers.
Harold Stromguist says he was extremely impressed with Hullo for his first ride and it will be an experience he will relive in the future.
“It was the best ride ever,” he says. “It was very comfortable, fast, and very convenient. I would give them a 10 out of 10.
“It was perfect.”
Stromguist says the service has opened more opportunities for him when it comes to travel and expanding his social capabilities.
“If there is a hockey game, or a concert we want to go to I would not hesitate to jump on board,” he says. “I would even go to Vancouver more often just because of the service I received.”
Mavia Stromguist says she agrees with her husband, and she is even more thrilled with how the staff handled her luggage on board without hesitation.
“There was lots of room,” she says. “I had a bag, and the staff took it to stow it away without any restrictions, it was comfortable.”
Co-founder Rupesh Amin was onboard the vessel for the trip back to Nanaimo and they made it back on time despite some windy conditions.
“We got into the inner harbour within 70 minutes with a lot of excitement and energy on board,” Amin says. “We also had some cheers on the lower deck when we were coming back.”
Hullo experienced delays on Monday and Tuesday after they canceled their sailings for the day due to weather conditions. Amin says it was a learning curve and he is sure most of the issues have been worked out.
“The weather conditions and power outages gave us some time to be thoughtful and methodical in terms of going over all our systems,” he says. “We made tweaks and adjustments where we needed to make sure the team was ready.”
Amin couldn’t provide details on what “tweaks” were made to the vessels but did mention the issues were minor mechanical issues they’ve resolved.
The delay caused a setback for the company which saw more than 400 people stranded at ports, but Amin says the company regrets the decision they made, and it really came down to safety.
“There isn’t a single threshold, but it depends on the wind and waves,” he says. “It ultimately comes down to safety, comfort, and reliability of our guests.”
Sailings might have left some passengers with a sour taste for reliability when it comes to the new venture, but Amin says Hullo has a contingency plan in place to mitigate this from happening again. However, there is no plan when it comes to the weather.
“We should be able to sail anytime BC Ferries, Heli-Jet or Seaplanes operate, but if mother nature decides there is a different agenda, then we will address it at that time,” he says.
Despite cancellations and the rough start to their inaugural sailing, most consumers were very accepting and understanding. Amin says most of the people he has heard from support their decision.
“I think everyone understands we’re a coastal community and these things happen,” he says. “The support from the community, passengers are positive and they’re still super excited.”
Hullo will continue operating on a modified schedule for the next two weeks with a reduced capacity of 290 people onboard and hopes to return to full service after Aug. 30 with a full capacity of 350.
