On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 19:50:42 +0000, Matt Ashby wrote
(in article .com):

SNIP


So my question is, would it be possible to integrate the
river services into the rest of the TfL system? This would
include increasing capacity and frequency to mass transit
levels, 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).

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

A few points to bear in mind:

Most of the passenger services CURRENTLY operating on the river target the
leisure passenger trade.

I work for the largest such operator, City Cruises, which carries more than
1m pax/yr on the Westminster-Tower-Greenwich route. Our £8.70 rover ticket
allows unlimited all day travel.

This is a "franchise" running until 2012, for which we pay a premium by way
of pier fees. This is the traditional charge for commercial use of the piers:
when you touch, you pay.

We operate a fleet of modern riverliners built in 1996-1999 - the big white
and red Millennium vessels [500 seats] - and have invested about £8m in
vessels and infrastructure over the past 10 years - far more than any other
operator.


Oh, and when you are thinking about infrastructure, new piers cost more than
£1m each.

Hope this helps to inform the discussion.

Ken W