On 20 Mar 2005, Matt Ashby wrote:

So my question is, would it be possible to integrate the river services
into the rest of the TfL system?

They're already somewhat integrated as it is, with river service
information being provided by TfL, and discounts for travelcard holders. I
take it you're suggesting full integration - so that you can ride them
with only a travelcard.

I think this is a reasonable idea. After all, other cities have ferries as
fully integrated parts of their transport systems - Liverpool, i think,
has travelcards valid on the ferry. Others, however, don't - New York, for
example, has ferries outside the rail ticket system.

This would include increasing capacity and frequency to mass transit
levels,

Frequency, yes. Capacity, maybe. I don't think there's much sense in
providing a wild excess of capacity. Now, if services were more frequent,
routes were better-advertised and travelcards were all that were
necessary, use would increase, probably requiring more capacity, but i
don't think it would make sense to provide tube levels of capacity from
day one.

Of course, increasing frequency will increase capacity anyway, unless we
switch to smaller boats. Which might not be a bad idea, actually.

and either buying out the existing providers (as was done with the tube)
or taking control of scheduling and pricing while contracting out the
service provision to private operators (as is the case with London
Buses).

I'd imagine the latter. Nationalisation is not terribly in at the moment.

The other option might be for TfL to start running its own services
alongside the private operators; this would have the advantage of not
requiring them to agree. I'd guesstimate that it would cost at least 2.5
million to set up a 6 bph service, and at least half that every year in
running costs. Not really that much in public transport terms!

And if it was possible, would it make economic sense?

Hard to say without knowing how much use it would attract. And that, of
course, depends on how much you spend on it!

tom

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