An Ontario boating company is one step closer to launching a ferry that will take passengers from Toronto’s waterfront to central Niagara in just 30 minutes.
Hoverlink Ontario has officially secured its Toronto docking site, marking a major milestone for travellers and commuters along this route.
The service is set to become the first large-scale hovercraft transit system in North America and is designed to move passengers across Lake Ontario in just half an hour.
According to the release, this new route will cut down travel time by up to 90 per cent compared with driving or taking a bus or train.
“It truly is connectivity without congestion,” said Chris Morgan, Hoverlink’s founder and CEO.
Hoverlink estimates the hovercraft will take more than 8,000 vehicles off the QEW every day, helping to ease one of Ontario’s busiest traffic corridors.
“We are extremely pleased to finally provide a fast, reliable and sustainable transportation solution that connects tourists and commuters in only 30 minutes,” Morgan said.
There are 279,000 single passenger rush hour trips per day driving over the Burlington Bay James N. Allen Skyway Bridge in each direction and 72 per cent of those are commuting to Toronto.
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With the capacity to serve three million passengers annually, the company says this service will also unlock new economic and tourism opportunities across the Golden Horseshoe.
Each climate-controlled craft will carry up to 180 passengers, run 18 hours a day with up to 48 trips and travel at speeds of up to 100 km/h over water, land or ice.
The service will be available year-round,
“The rapid transit service is a transformative step forward—unlocking tourism growth, accelerating economic development, and finally delivering the high-speed waterfront connection Toronto and Niagara have long needed.” said Erika Portz, president of Hoverlink. “The project is really about giving people their time, instead of spending it stuck on the highway.”
In addition to cutting travel time, the service is also designed with sustainability in mind.
Each hovercraft ride is expected to consume approximately 200 litres of biodiesel per trip, resulting in a 99 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to car travel.
“Waterfront connectivity has been underutilized in this province,” Portz added.
Some experts are raising questions about the project’s financial viability.
Baher Abdulhai, professor at the University of Toronto and transportation systems expert, said he likes the concept and sees no major technical barriers. However, he suggested that affordability will ultimately determine the service’s success.
“Is it technically feasible? Why not. I don’t see big hurdles other than economic feasibility,” said Abdulhai. “The big question on my mind is ticket price. For this to be economically feasible and plausible, how much would the ticket be? Is it going to be affordable for the masses and commuters or just for tourists?”
He pointed to the Union Pearson Express rail link, which faced early criticism for its $22 ticket price before a fare reduction improved ridership.
“That was public money—it didn’t have to be profitable,” Abdulhai said.
“For the hovercraft, it remains to be seen what the ticket price will be, which will determine how many will use it and its effectiveness as a new mode of travel alleviating congestion.”
With docking sites now secured in Toronto, and Niagara being shovel-ready, Hoverlink is moving into the next phase of its launch preparations.
The company expects hovercraft manufacturing to take roughly 18 to 24 months, putting the service on track to operate once construction is finalized, pending approval from the City of Toronto.
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