Metro Vancouver & Interregional Passenger Ferry Service Discussion

[WarrenC12]

Nanaimo is a hole. The only reason to take a ferry there is better access to Tofino, and the route from Horseshoe bay is more convenient for big parts of Metro Van.

[martinishaker]

How dare you bad mouth where people live you creep. Have you ever been to Nanaimo, or just driven through on your way to somewhere? I moved to Nanaimo from Yaletown 7 years ago, and hands down would never ever move back to the lower mainland. Besides the blue collar area downtown Nanaimo, the north from Departure Bay, through Hammond Bay, to Dover Bay, all the way to Lantzville has some of the nicest homes, with views anywhere. Add Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Qualicum Comox, Courtenay and Campbell River just to the north. Going the other way, Ladysmith and Cow Valley.

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Nanaimo is a hole. The only reason to take a ferry there is better access to Tofino, and the route from Horseshoe bay is more convenient for big parts of Metro Van.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by martinishaker

How dare you bad mouth where people live you creep. Have you ever been to Nanaimo, or just driven through on your way to somewhere? I moved to Nanaimo from Yaletown 7 years ago, and hands down would never ever move back to the lower mainland. Besides the blue collar area downtown Nanaimo, the north from Departure Bay, through Hammond Bay, to Dover Bay, all the way to Lantzville has some of the nicest homes, with views anywhere. Add Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Qualicum Comox, Courtenay and Campbell River just to the north. Going the other way, Ladysmith and Cow Valley.

You listed a bunch of places that aren't really Nanaimo. I've been to most of them and agree they are nice.

Nanaimo downtown and close surrounding areas is crap.

Grow some thicker skin.

[martinishaker]

You specifically said the ONLY reason to go to Nanaimo is to access Tofino, and Nanaimo is a hole.
1. You are clearly trying to change what you said in your response to me. The proof is in the thread above. Don’t lie to me
2. No, departure bay, Hammond bay, and Dover bay are in Nanaimo. These areas in Nanaimo are only a few of the amazing areas to live over here.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by martinishaker

You specifically said the ONLY reason to go to Nanaimo is to access Tofino, and Nanaimo is a hole.
1. You are clearly trying to change what you said in your response to me. The proof is in the thread above. Don’t lie to me
2. No, departure bay, Hammond bay, and Dover bay are in Nanaimo. These areas in Nanaimo are only a few of the amazing areas to live over here.

You're right. I will officially amend my statement:

1. Most of Nanaimo is a hole.
2. People take the ferry there just to get to other places.

Happy? I suspect not.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Conversely, many Nanaimo residents are much happier in Yaletown, so I'm not sure what that proves.

More to the point, how many tourists (even local ones) are spending $60+ just to go to Hammond Bay? Not many. Warren's right - this'll have to depend on commuter traffic for the most part.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

You're right. I will officially amend my statement:

1. Most of Nanaimo is a hole.

I grew up in Nanaimo.
The north end (Departure Bay, Cilaire, Hammond Bay Rd) has always been the nicer part of town because it's post-60s suburbia (that's where all the 80s era malls are) with big lots and great views of the water.
The south end of town (Harewood), reserves and the areas near the waterfront sawmills with former miners cottages was always rougher, like East Van compared to West Vancouver (not Westside) in terms of the housing type and to some extent socio-economic status.

[martinishaker]

Ya, what I thought, just a mud thrower. Get a life

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

You're right. I will officially amend my statement:

1. Most of Nanaimo is a hole.
2. People take the ferry there just to get to other places.

Happy? I suspect not.

[martinishaker]

Why are there hundreds and hundreds of walk on passengers every BC Ferry sailing then? You realize people get picked up by their friends and family for visits. Are these technically tourists?

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Conversely, many Nanaimo residents are much happier in Yaletown, so I'm not sure what that proves.

More to the point, how many tourists (even local ones) are spending $60+ just to go to Hammond Bay? Not many. Warren's right - this'll have to depend on commuter traffic for the most part.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by martinishaker

Why are there hundreds and hundreds of walk on passengers every BC Ferry sailing then? You realize people get picked up by their friends and family for visits. Are these technically tourists?

They’d be either local tourists, yes, or visitors; either way, there aren’t that many of them, because total bus ridership for the buses to Horseshoe Bay is 8,540/day (including everybody who disembarks in West Van and downtown long before the ferry terminal, or is headed to the Sunshine Coast or Bowen Island), taxi ridership can't be much higher, and I highly doubt that anybody’s biking or walking all the way there. Granted, Coal Harbour is much closer than Horseshoe Bay, but it's still over an hour away, $33 is not $20, and 4 sailings/day is not 8 sailings/day.

We get it. You really like Nanaimo, and you’d really like it to have a ferry that takes people straight to/from the downtown you never want to go back to - doesn’t change the fact that the last four attempts to create such a ferry have burnt out within three years of operation or less. BC Ferries disruptions and warm summers don’t last forever, so only time will tell whether there’s enough demand for an all-year viable service. History says otherwise.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

More to the point, how many tourists (even local ones) are spending $60+ just to go to Hammond Bay? Not many. Warren's right - this'll have to depend on commuter traffic for the most part.

Moreover, this will depend on commuter traffic coming from Nanaimo to Vancouver, and not vice versa. Hullo's docks show that with a large parking lot in Nanaimo, perfect for someone who lives on the island, but no parking in Vancouver.

Originally Posted by officedweller

I grew up in Nanaimo.
The north end (Departure Bay, Cilaire, Hammond Bay Rd) has always been the nicer part of town because it's post-60s suburbia (that's where all the 80s era malls are) with big lots and great views of the water.
The south end of town (Harewood), reserves and the areas near the waterfront sawmills with former miners cottages was always rougher, like East Van compared to West Vancouver (not Westside) in terms of the housing type and to some extent socio-economic status.

Those might be nice neighborhoods to live in, but none of Nanaimo's three ferry terminals are well set up for tourists if they are wanting to explore Nanaimo itself. Theoretically, Victoria and Nanaimo are both close enough that a cruise ship passenger or someone spending a long weekend in Vancouver could hop on a Hullo ferry and make a day trip to either city. But Nanaimo's ferries are more so set up for easy access to the TCH and not to explore downtown.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

But Nanaimo's ferries are more so set up for easy access to the TCH and not to explore downtown.

I dunno last time I went (2018) the bus from Departure Bay to downtown Nanaimo took maybe 20 minutes. Victoria-Vancouver on transit is do-able but gawd it sucks that I refuse to do it if I'm not visiting someone already there.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Victoria's definitely got more of a market, but it's also further from Coal Harbour. V2V went belly-up even with 1,000 pre-booked tickets for 2020.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

Those might be nice neighborhoods to live in, but none of Nanaimo's three ferry terminals are well set up for tourists if they are wanting to explore Nanaimo itself. Theoretically, Victoria and Nanaimo are both close enough that a cruise ship passenger or someone spending a long weekend in Vancouver could hop on a Hullo ferry and make a day trip to either city. But Nanaimo's ferries are more so set up for easy access to the TCH and not to explore downtown.

I don't think Hullo would be aimed at tourists (there's not much to see in downtown Nanaimo, other than Newcastle Island)
It would be aimed at locals visiting family and commuters (my former financial adviser lived in Nanaimo but worked in Vancouver).
If you've ever taken the ferry to Departure Bay as a foot passsnger, 90% of the foot passengers get picked up by friends and relatives.

[djmk]

it's about $200 round trip with a vehicle and two passengers from nanaimo to vancouver. And then you have to worry about traffic and parking

$160 ish with tax for two to be dropped downtown in an hour and 15 minutes. With no big loading and unloading event.

The canucks just became way more accessible to islanders

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by djmk

The canucks just became way more accessible to islanders

first you need to make it so people WANT to go see them. this aint 2011 no more.

[martinishaker]

The all in cost is way more on BC Ferry, if you consider time and ancillary costs, 4 vs 8 sailings doesn’t mean much to anyone. Maybe you feel like an idiot in Vancouver with no disposable income.

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

They’d be either local tourists, yes, or visitors; either way, there aren’t that many of them, because total bus ridership for the buses to Horseshoe Bay is 8,540/day (including everybody who disembarks in West Van and downtown long before the ferry terminal, or is headed to the Sunshine Coast or Bowen Island), taxi ridership can't be much higher, and I highly doubt that anybody’s biking or walking all the way there. Granted, Coal Harbour is much closer than Horseshoe Bay, but it's still over an hour away, $33 is not $20, and 4 sailings/day is not 8 sailings/day.

We get it. You really like Nanaimo, and you’d really like it to have a ferry that takes people straight to/from the downtown you never want to go back to - doesn’t change the fact that the last four attempts to create such a ferry have burnt out within three years of operation or less. BC Ferries disruptions and warm summers don’t last forever, so only time will tell whether there’s enough demand for an all-year viable service. History says otherwise.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by djmk

The canucks just became way more accessible to islanders

... and concerts.

[s211]

Originally Posted by martinishaker

The all in cost is way more on BC Ferry, if you consider time and ancillary costs, 4 vs 8 sailings doesn’t mean much to anyone. Maybe you feel like an idiot in Vancouver with no disposable income.

I'm triggered by your being triggered. Dude needs to chill. Oh wait, there's a park in Vancouver for that already.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by martinishaker

The all in cost is way more on BC Ferry, if you consider time and ancillary costs, 4 vs 8 sailings doesn’t mean much to anyone. Maybe you feel like an idiot in Vancouver with no disposable income.

4 vs 8 sailings means 50% less capacity and 87% less flexibility than BC Ferries on opening day (and at the tail end of peak season, no less). That's not a good start for this ferry.
I'm sure there’s a demographic that considers saving half an hour to be worth an extra $13/trip; seeing as many more people were willing to spend twice as much time driving the long way around just to duck a $3.15 bridge toll though, it’s likely to be a very small one. No skin off my teeth, I don’t need Hullo to stick around.

Yet you insist that everybody wants to spend that extra disposable income on... a trip into Vancouver. Guess Nanaimo’s a lot less amazing than you say it is.