One-way fares will range from $39.99 to $59.99 for adults with discounts for children and seniors. The company is offering a $10 discount for the first fare booked through a passenger’s online account.
Reservations will be available for up to 90 days in advance of the planned sailing.
Caddick said the pricing model was the result of extensive study and consultation of competing travel options and one he believes provides good value.
“We looked at ensuring our operating costs, our labour costs to ensure this model that we’re all excited about can be sustainable for the long term. We think this price point will allow us to be sustainable.”
Crew hiring is ongoing, however Caddick said the process is going well and they’re encouraged by the quality of applicants.
Both ships will dock in Nanaimo overnight, with the first sailing leaving Nanaimo at 6 a.m. daily, while the first departure out of Vancouver will be 8 a.m.
Up to seven round trips are scheduled per day to start, with the last ferry leaving downtown Vancouver at 9:30 p.m., although the departure may be pushed back for special events or occasions such as select concerts or sporting events.
Final sailings from Nanaimo will leave at 7:30 p.m. or later.
Three classes will be accessible on board, with a 264-seat main cabin making up a lion’s share of the available space. Complimentary Wi-Fi will be included in the fare.
A 60-seat premium section will include nicer seats with USB charging, priority unloading and faster Wi-Fi connection. Finally, a business section will seat up to 30 with fully reclining seats and additional perks.
Bikes will be welcomed on board, however only a limited number of spots will be available to be reserved per sailing. Electric bikes with lithium batteries are not allowed on board due to federal regulations around transporting dangerous goods.
Pets are also allowed but must remain in a carrier or on the lap of the owner.
Both the spuhéls and sthuqi’ were loaded onto a cargo carrier last week and are headed to Victoria, before making the trip to Nanaimo.
Caddick said the boats are due to arrive in Victoria toward the end of June, before sailing up to Nanaimo by mid-July.
“There’s some really important work we need to do with Transport Canada to ensure that everything, our crews, our training and our drills meet all the strict requirements from Transport Canada.”
As of Thursday, June 8, the ship was sailing off the coast of South Korea and can be tracked here.
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Fares, rough start date and vessel names unveiled for new Nanaimo fast ferry service - Nanaimo News NOW
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