On September 15, NIBULON finished the 2018 season of passenger transportation, the company says in its press release. During the season, the company transported about 24,000 passengers, and 13,390 of them were transported by the route Mykolaiv – the Kinburn Spit – Ochakiv.
Despite the fact that passenger transportation is a relatively new and not a major activity of NIBULON, which the company took up performing on a regular basis last year, NIBULON’s specialists were very scrupulous about the 2018 season opening.
The strategy to organize regular passenger transportation in 2018 was based on the results of work and experience gained during last year's navigation. While making changes to timetable, ticket booking system and service, we also tried to take into account the overwhelming majority of our passengers’ comments and make passenger transportation accessible to as many people as possible. In particular, due to the increase in the company's passenger fleet, two trips (a couple hours apart) to the Kinburn Spit were arranged each day off, so that our city visitors from other regions, who arrived mainly by Kyiv train, could get there. For convenience of passengers, we have equipped a station with benches, as well as a floating berth on Kabotazhnyi Mol in Mykolaiv (hydrofoils start their trips to the Kinburn Spit there).
In addition, this year, the company has launched passenger trips by the route Ochakiv – the Kinburn Spit, which could not be launched last year due to lack of certified and properly equipped berths. As always, NIBULON solved this problem on its own. The berth of 100 m was installed at the town beach by NIBULON’s specialists with the help of the company’s fleet and diving service. The berth doesn’t affect the ecosystem. It is similar to those ones installed at the Kinburn Spit and in Mykolaiv on Kabotazhnyi Mol. While installing the berth, the company’s specialists also trawled the water area at NIBULON’s expense. They also measured the depths in the area of the berth installation site for safe mooring of passenger vessels. This summer, it was possible to reach the Ukrainian Maldives by a comfortable, safe and high-speed vessel both from Mykolaiv and Ochakiv (there is no need to get there with the help of not reliable watercrafts that stop at a distance of a few tens of meters from the shore, and then you are waist-deep in cold water).
The routes Voznesensk – Kovalivka – Nova Odesa – Mykolaiv and Nova Kakhovka – Kherson were very popular with passengers this season. In summer, it is a much more comfortable way to get to regional centers by NIBULON Express passenger vessels rather than by packed buses, especially taking into account current state of roads. Plus the price is fair. In particular, to make river transport available to as many people as possible, the company reduced the fare for the route Voznesensk – Mykolaiv to UAH 78, which is cheaper than bus fare.
NIBULON’s shipping company performed charitable trips by inland waterways for children, ATO participants, civil servants, as well as for visitors of the international exhibitions “Shipbuilding-2018” and “Water Transport”, which took place at NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard on May 23-24, in order to attract attention to the problems of the river industry and to promote passenger transportation. As part of these measures, about 4,000 people were transported for free.
NIBULON has returned the fashion for passenger transportation by water. Water transport becomes a favourite mode of transport among passengers. However, it should be noted that without abolishing the excise tax on fuel (or compensation), lockage, payment for passing through bridges, rental payment for water use, etc., which hamper water transportation development in Ukraine, without stopping smuggling of fuel, there will be no river transport and transportation development.
This year, due to the great attention paid to regular trips of high-speed and comfortable NIBULON Expresspassenger vessels, we have decided to create a separate page on Facebook where you can find up-to-date information on routes, timetable, fare, ordering pleasure trips, etc., as well as ask questions, write your comments and suggestions that will help us to improve the quality of our services. We have received a lot of positive comments, wishes, and suggestions in this short period of time.