A new deal between Ports Toronto and hovercraft company Hoverlink could soon make the commute from Toronto to Niagara a breeze.
Following three years of consultations, Hoverlink has signed a deal with Ports Toronto, securing a location for a Toronto port for a hovercraft service connecting downtown Toronto and the Niagara area in just 30 minutes.
Designed as a dependable, low-emission way to get from Toronto to Niagara, Hoverlink says the commute will take half an hour, reducing travel times by as much as 90 per cent when compared to the time it takes to take the trip by car or train.
The crafts would be able to carry 180 passengers at a time, with the capacity to serve up to 3 million passengers every year, according to a press release. The hovercrafts utilize what Hoverlink calls amphibious technology, and have the capacity to operate regardless of weather conditions or season, and can traverse water, ice and land.
Officials say that when it is operating at full capacity, this new means of transportation is projected to remove 8,000 cars from the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) every day.,
Hoverlink plans to operate 48 daily trips between Toronto and Niagara 365 days of the year.
The timeline for this project has yet to be revealed.
The Port Weller terminal, located about a 20-minute drive from Niagara Falls, will have parking, shuttle buses and connections to local transit. Officials say that the site is already ready for development.
The Toronto port will be located in the western portion of the Toronto Harbour, and will also be close to public parking, with access to electric shuttle buses, transit, trains and taxis.
The company planned to launch a service between Toronto and the Niagara Region back in 2023, but that plan never materialized.
It’s also unclear how much it will cost to ride the hovercraft. However, a previous post from the original 2023 plans to launch the Hoverlink services says that the cost will be similar to existing public transit options between the two locations, offering single and multi-trip fares, as well as off-peak, peak, and student pricing.
Hoverlink will be sharing more details of the plan at an event being hosted by the Toronto Region Board of Trade at Queen’s Quay on May 28, 2025. You can register for that event here.
Meanwhile, the mayor called this means of transportation important.
“As to whether the technology works as yet, there will be a lot of barriers they will have to overcome,” Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters this week. “But certainly it is a mode of transportation that is important.”
PEOPLE REACT TO HOVERCRAFT PLANS
Online, people are reacting to the news that hovercraft travel may soon be a reality for locals. Some people are excited by the concept of reduced travel times and a new way to get around.
“Ever since I rode a speed ferry from Macao to Hong Kong I’ve wondered why we don’t have something similar,” one person shared on Reddit.
“That’s one way to beat the traffic!” an X user shared.
Meanwhile, others are skeptical about the logistics of hovercraft travel.
“Once you add in embarking and disembarking time, plus the shuttle, you’re pretty close to the time it takes for the go train,” one Reddit user said. “If the cost is significantly more than the GO, most people will not use it to save a couple of minutes.”
“The recreational boaters are definitely an issue. You’re right. That area is heavily used and a lot of those boats would not be able to get out of the way of a hovercraft hurtling towards them,” another person commented.
And some people are wondering if there are other ways this technology can be utilized.
“Why not the same service within GTA? Like Oakville to Clarington with stops in some of the cities along the way?” One person questioned on X.
“Might be an alternative to the GO train.”
