Thus, residents of Voznesensk were the first passengers of a new mode of transport to Mykolaiv. The solemn opening of passenger transportation along the Southern Buh River took place on May 13 with the participation of Voznecenck mayor Vitalii Lukov and NIBULON’s specialists, namely NIBULON’s Deputy General Director of Fleet Construction, Fleet Operation and Navigation Safety Andrii Volik and Director of NIBULON’s Shipping Company Yevhen Ihnatenko. A lot of Voznesensk residents gathered at a long-awaited event. They were observing the first trip of NIBULON Express-3 with the passengers on board to Mykolaiv with loud applause and with flags in their hands.
Before the vessel departure, everyone had an opportunity to visit the upper deck, inspect it inside, and even to sit in the pilot house.
All the passengers were satisfied with such a safe, comfortable and fast trip. One could not only read a book, work on his/her laptop, to chat during the trip, but also enjoy a picturesque view out of the porthole, and enjoy, as it is quiet inside and there are no movements to and fro as in road transport.
“I would like to thank NIBULON for an opportunity to move along the Southern Buh River. This is my first trip. I really liked it; it’s very comfortable, fast, a lot of fun. It can’t be compared with road transport. I am a driver, and there is always some tension while driving. When you reach Mykolaiv, you are tired and you want nothing”, said Alla, a resident of Voznesensk. 
Voznesensk mayor Vitalii Lukov also thanked NIBULON and the community for their support,
 “Once again, I thank NIBULON, I thank those people, Voznesensk residents, who responded to our appeal, to appeal of the executive community to help with the berth construction and restoration. This is very difficult job and it is not cheap. We steel need to prepare documents to approve everything we have created. But there is the beginning, there is hope, and we deserve to turn that hope into a good thing and fix it in our town forever”.
Start of regular river transportation in Kherson was not less solemn. The representatives of local authorities treated this significant event with special responsibility.  Residents of Hola Prystan and Hola Prystan mayor Oleksandr Babych were the first passengers of the high-speed vessel. The Head of Kherson Regional State Administration Andrii Hordieiev and Head of Kherson City Council Volodymyr Mykolaienko hospitably welcomed guests, among whom there were many children.  It should be noted that Hola Prystan residents didn’t arrive in Kherson empty-handed; they brought small presents, nice notebooks and flags of the town, which they presented to people at the berth in Kherson. Kherson residents, in turn, prepared balloons for the youngest passengers.
“We promised and we did it. From this day NIBULON starts regular passenger trips of hydrofoils along the Dnipro River between Nova Kakhovka and Hola Prystan. This route is for students, young people, and everyone interested.  First of all, it is drive; it returns the charm we had in Kherson region many years ago… Kherson region is being revived, and I am grateful to NIBULON, which fixed the fare at the level of road transportation because of its social initiative. This is purely NIBULON’s social initiative to attract the attention of entire Ukraine to the problem of river transportation absence”, commented on the event Andrii Hordieiev, head of Kherson Regional State Administration.
In turn, Hola Prystan mayor Oleksandr Babych noted that it is a long-awaited event for the town, as there are problems with transportation of people,
 “Today we have only road transport. Somehow, we forgot about the cheapest and the most comfortable transport – water transport. Today the traditions are being revived. This is a real even for residents of Hola Prystan. Firstly, this is comfort and time saving, and, therefore, I am convinced that this project will be developed and will have prospects”.
The passengers, who were satisfied with the trip by NIBULON Express-2, confirmed convenience of such transportation,
“It will be a very convenient and comfortable way to get to Kherson. There is a TV set, Wi-Fi, comfortable seats, a beautiful landscape of our Hola Prystan district. A lot of people from Hola Prystan work in Kherson; thus, it is a promising way”, shared her impressions N. Soloviova, a social service specialist.
To restore passenger transportation on inland waterways, NIBULON has carried out complex measures that included trawling of certain areas of rivers, dredging, diving inspection of all berths where the firms certified by the Register of Ukraine, State Hydrographic Service of Ukraine, and NIBULON’s diving station as well, will make stops. We have held a number of meetings with Emergency Service of Ukraine in Mykolaiv region. All suggestions and comments have been taken into account before the beginning of transportation.
Regarding the technical readiness of the vessels and passenger’s safety, Director of NIBULON’s shipping company Yevhen Ihnatenko noted that the high-speed passenger vessels were suitable for operation. To this end, we have done a lot of work. In particular, the company has involved designers to retrofit the vessels according to Ukrainian standards. Lifebuoys, life vests, emergency and fire-fighting equipment are certified, tested and have the relevant documents approved by the Register of Ukraine. The specialists of NIBULON’s shipping company have performed sea trials with their staff, with people, and without people four times. A number of internal regulatory documents have also been developed. As a result, all measures have been taken to ensure safety of passenger transportation by water, as people’s safety is a priority for NIBULON.
Therefore, we invite residents of Mykolaiv region and Kherson region to take advantage of regular passenger trips by water transport. You can find timetable and the fare on the company’s website www.nibulon.com and on NIBULON’s official page on Facebook.