As we sail towards 3 years of operation, it has been an honour to service over 1,300,000 passengers between Nanaimo and Vancouver on more than 8,000 sailings.
Hullo’s mission is to “be better”, with a vision of achieving our goals “through unparalleled innovation and operational excellence”. Progress comes through change.
With this in mind, we have exciting updates to share this spring!
Bikes
After a successful initial launch last fall, we are pleased to share an expansion of our bikes service: starting June 1, Hullo Ferries will be able to accommodate up to 6 bikes. Bikes will be stored externally on our deck at the rear of the vessel.
Additionally, the cost of bikes will decrease from $30 one-way, to $19.99. Passengers who have purchased a bike space will be boarded with priority, and will be the final group to disembark. Our conditions of carriage for the type of bike remain unchanged at this time.
Luggage
We recognize that when guests travel with us, they often bring additional items with them. To better serve the needs of our guests, we will be reducing the price of large luggage (items over 22” in height, up to 50lbs in weight) to $19.99 when purchased online in advance, as of June 1. This also applies to sports gear and bikes. Strollers and wagons continue to be permitted free of charge, but must fold up when stored on board.
Booking large or additional luggage in advance is strongly recommended, as space on board is limited and cannot be guaranteed for last minute additions. Guests who have purchased large luggage will also receive priority boarding.
Guests remain able to bring one carryon bag (under 22" on the longest side) free of charge, in addition to one personal item. Carryon and/or personal items in excess of this allowance are subject to our additional luggage fees.
Please note: a personal item must be under 19" on the longest side as of June 1. Personal items and carryon bags are expected to be brought with guests to their seats whenever possible; luggage bays are intended and prioritized for those travelling with sports equipment and large luggage items.
Changes in pricing cannot be retroactively applied to existing bookings.
*additional items in this category are subject to a luggage fee, regardless of size
**items may be subjected to an additional fee if purchased in-person, and/or in excess of the weight limit. Items more than 20 lbs overweight may be denied on board.
Food & Beverage Service
Hullo Ferries is proud to be operated by the Vancouver Island Ferry Company, servicing the communities of coastal British Columbia and beyond. To better support and honour these communities, Hullo will be transitioning food and beverage items to regional-based products.
Our collaboration with COCO Cafe (from Cedar, Vancouver Island) for sandwiches and baked goods was the first of several new brands we look forward to welcoming on board in 2026. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for new products on board from BC’s coast!
Pops and non-alcoholic beverages – Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. (Victoria)
Speed King Cola
Spitfire Ginger Ale
Intergalactic Root Beer
Dare Devil Orange Cream
IOTA Pale Ale
IOTA Cerveza
Sparkmouth Mojito
Sparkmouth Moscow Mule
Sparkmouth Tonic
Sparkmouth Cucumber Mint
Coffee – Drumroaster Coffee (Cobble Hill)
Classic Diner roast
Decaf roast
Tea – The Denman Island Tea Company (Denman Island)
Canadian Breakfast
Ginger Fresh
Midnight Jasmine
Cut Leaf Peppermint
Cream Earl Grey
Tea Guy Masala
Chocolate – Salt Spring Chocolate (Salt Spring Island)
One Sailing Wait – Milk Chocolate Pecan & Caramel Bar
Mountain Treasure – Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter & Caramel Bar
Vesuvius Sunset – Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Bar
Standardized Sailing Schedule
In order to provide more predictability when guests are planning their trips, we are pleased to share a standardized schedule. Guests can anticipate this schedule to be in effect for the foreseeable future, with only slight variations occurring as needed to accommodate operational requirements.
Please note: we will continue to offer late night/special event sailings upon significant request. Requests can be made using this form, and should be submitted no later than 8 weeks in advance of the event to be taken into consideration for an additional sailing.
New Service Tiers
Effective June 1, 2026, Hullo will also be introducing a new 19.99 fare tier: Comfort-Connect.
Up to twenty Comfort-Connect tickets will be available on non-holiday Monday-Friday sailings, specifically for our 07:15 departures from Nanaimo, and 17:30 departures from Vancouver -- commuters rejoice! These adult tickets are available online only, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The tickets will be a part of our lower deck in the same physical seats as our Comfort tier. Comfort-Connect tickets are available for purchase no more than 60 and no less than 30 days in advance of the sailing departure day/time, and they are non-refundable, with no modifications permitted. Comfort-Connect tickets cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
To offer guests more flexibility when travelling, we will be implementing a new intermediate tier: Comfort-Flex. These tickets will be a part of our Comfort seats on our lower deck, with seat selection and expanded refund flexibility included in the fare.
Additionally, we will no longer be offering a Business tier after June 1. The upper deck will instead be comprised of a singular, expanded Premium tier. The physical Business tier seats will remain present and bookable as “Premium” until further notice, however, our complimentary snack and beverage service with Business tier will also be discontinued. Premium passengers will continue to receive priority on/off boarding of the vessel and seat selection, included with their ticket purchase.
As such, Hullo will have a total of four ticket categories across two service tiers effective June 1, 2026: Comfort-Connect, Comfort, Comfort-Flex, and Premium.
Ticket Fares
Bookings for all sailings occurring on or after June 1st, 2026 will adhere to adjusted seat fares. This marks the first and only price increase since Hullo began service in 2023. Changes in pricing cannot be retroactively applied to existing bookings.
Please note: All bookings made for the month of June 2026 can only be modified once, to a new sailing within 14 days of the original departure date, to allow for a more seamless transition between policies.
Our modification policy otherwise remains unchanged at this time, with modifications allowable for a $5 fee, up to 1 hour before scheduled sailing departure time for Comfort, Comfort-Flex, and Premium seat tiers. Comfort-Connect is not eligible for modifications. Examples of modifications include changing the date of sailing after the point of booking, or reducing the amount of passengers.
Additionally, we will be introducing capacity-influenced fares; as sailings start to fill up significantly, prices may see a marginal increase. Booking early will ensure that guests lock in the lowest rate possible!
Cancellation Policy
In order to provide guests more flexibility when booking further in advance, we have amended our cancellation and refund policy, which will vary depending on type of fare purchased. This new policy will apply to all sailings departing on or after June 1, 2026, regardless of the date of ticket purchase.
Please note: full refunds will continue to occur for all ticket types if a sailing is cancelled by Hullo, due to adverse weather or operational requirements.
Questions? Contact us and we’d be happy to help!
