The Tasmanian Liberal Government is transforming public transport in greater Hobart through a range of initiatives to boost patronage and bust traffic congestion.
The success of the Derwent Ferry service trial over its first three months means we will be putting on extra services and an extra ferry over summer.
With many of the daily services already near capacity and with the weather set to warm up, we are adding an additional four services a day catering for an additional 400 passengers.
The new services will commence on Monday 29 November and operate twice in the morning from Bellerive to the city and twice in the afternoon from the city to Bellerive.
The additional services, using a second vessel, add to the current 15 daily runs and will add additional inward capacity at 7:20am and 8:00am and extra outward capacity at 4:50pm and 5:30pm.
These additional services have been scheduled around the most popular times in the morning and evening.
Since commencing, the daily average has seen around 450 passengers catching the services and on finer days we have seen that rise to be close to the current 600-passenger capacity.
The additional services will lift capacity to 1,000 passengers a day, 500 each way. Demand for the extra summer sailings will be reviewed at the end of December.
All up more than 25,000 passengers have already taken advantage of the fast and comfortable service.
By adding these new services, we are providing even more choice for commuters coming into the city and making it more attractive to walk, cycle, or be dropped off at the pier, especially as there is easy access from existing Metro Tasmania services.
It clearly shows that if we give people an alternative to jumping in the car, many are more than ready to take it. This is reducing the number of vehicles on the roads, especially crossing the bridge during peak periods according to locals.
With nine months to go in the trial, continued strong support and growing passenger numbers will be a key part of determining whether the service continues.
