Vancouver to Victoria ferry service will not be back this spring
Credit to Author: David Carrigg| Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2020 02:56:43 +0000
A boutique ferry service linking the downtown cores of Vancouver and Victoria has closed after three sailing seasons.
In a prepared stated released Monday afternoon, V2V Vacations stated it had “made the difficult decision to cease our service between Vancouver and Victoria with immediate effect.”
The company said all tickets pre-purchased for the 2020 March to October season would be fully refunded. Return adult fares started at $220 for the three-hour Vancouver to Victoria trip.
According to Julian Wright, general manager of the now defunct V2V, the company carried a record number of passengers last season, “However, regretfully the financial prospects remain unsatisfactory to sustain the business, and our continued operation in 2020 is simply not economically viable.”
It’s not the first time a passenger ferry gone bust operating between the two harbours. The Royal Sealink Express lost millions of dollars due to low ridership and stopped operating after 19 months in 1993.
As recently as Dec. 31, 2019 the company had stated “We look forward to serving all of you aboard our V2V Empress in the spring” on the business Twitter page.
Wright said the 242-seat catamaran would be docked in Victoria for the time being.
V2V was owned by Australian-based company Riverside Marine Group.
Travellers who had pre-purchased tickets can call 1-855-554-4679 or emailing hello@v2vvacations.com for a refund.