In a statement to Global News, Hullo Ferries said its vessels are designed to travel at a high rate of speed, therefore it must abide by Transport Canada's High-Speed Craft Code.
There’s a significant difference between the speeds and construction of the boats. Hullo is governed by the high speed craft code. Basically the concern is that a collision by one of these would be different than a regular ferry, and so there’s limitations to what they can carry, and the emergency procedures they have to have in place.
Hopefully stories like this will help push for improvements to the regulation
Accessibility options available on board larger ferries travelling between Vancouver and Vancouver Island:
Accessible passenger areas and cafeteria
Designated priority seating
Elevator access (see more below)
Induction loop hearing systems (see more below)
Ramps to board the ferry
That implies smaller ferries by BC Ferries don’t have the same level of accessibility.
Second, BC Ferries is the operator on behalf of the BC government, so I think there is more of a push for better resident access, which BC Ferries holds Accessibility Committee meetings for. Hullo on the other hand is a private ferry company and so their priorities and the purpose of their vessels might be different, accessibility not being at top of mind over capacity, speed and availability of service (which translates to profit). Different regulations apply for vessels built for different purposes (the BC Ferries are not made for higher-speed journeys for example).
How come they’re allowed on BC Ferries but not Hullo?
There’s a significant difference between the speeds and construction of the boats. Hullo is governed by the high speed craft code. Basically the concern is that a collision by one of these would be different than a regular ferry, and so there’s limitations to what they can carry, and the emergency procedures they have to have in place.
Hopefully stories like this will help push for improvements to the regulation
Firstly, from the BC Ferries website:
That implies smaller ferries by BC Ferries don’t have the same level of accessibility.
Second, BC Ferries is the operator on behalf of the BC government, so I think there is more of a push for better resident access, which BC Ferries holds Accessibility Committee meetings for. Hullo on the other hand is a private ferry company and so their priorities and the purpose of their vessels might be different, accessibility not being at top of mind over capacity, speed and availability of service (which translates to profit). Different regulations apply for vessels built for different purposes (the BC Ferries are not made for higher-speed journeys for example).