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Auckland ferry services have been boosted in two directions, with more sailings offered on both the Devonport and Pine Harbour commuter runs.
Ferry operator Fullers Group has added three more evening peak-time sailings from Auckland to Devonport, doubling services to once every 15 minutes between 5pm and 6.30pm for the 1200 or so daily commuters on the crossing.
One of the two largest vessels in the company's 10-strong Auckland fleet, the 650-seat Quickcat, has also been added to morning services to boost capacity by replacing smaller craft previously used to supplement the 411-seat Kea.
Pine Harbour Ferries has meanwhile added a third vessel capable of carrying 50 more commuters between Beachlands and Auckland at peak times, and is offering two extra daily return services under a subsidy from the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (Arta).
The authority hopes to draw passengers from as far as Whitford for the 35-minute trip, offering them a faster and more comfortable alternative to driving through eastern Auckland to get to work or school.
Although the Devonport ferry services are run on a purely commercial basis by Fullers, and not subsidised by ratepayers or taxpayers, the authority helps to pay for feeder bus services to lessen pressure on waterfront parking.
It is urging commuters to buy, for $39, a seven-day transferable ticket entitling them to use buses between Takapuna, Bayswater and Devonport, the ferries themselves, and then trains from Britomart to Kingsland, Glen Innes or Ellerslie.
Even so, Fullers has in its annual review of operations raised the possibility of introducing a shuttle bus in a loop around Devonport and Narrow Neck, to carry commuters to the waterfront from a yet-to-be-identified "park and ride" area.
Fullers general manager Michael Fitchett said yesterday that the idea was at an early stage, and yet to be raised with North Shore City Council, but he knew of one potential parking area only about three minutes from the ferry terminal.
Although the future of urban bus services is unclear - given legislation before Parliament aimed at giving regional councils controls over both subsidised and "commercial" operations - Mr Fitchett said Fullers already operated a successful feeder bus operation in conjunction with its Waiheke Island ferries.
Fullers chief executive Doug Hudson warned Parliament's transport and industrial relations select committee last week that "draconian powers" sought by Arta over timetables, fares, ticketing systems and even the designs and colour schemes of vessels could fundamentally upset the economics of his operation.
That relied on a fleet of multi-purpose vessels to service both the commuter and tourist markets. But Mr Hudson said uncertainty created by measures proposed in the Public Transport Management Bill were making long-term planning difficult for his company, a subsidiary of NZ Bus (formerly Stagecoach).
He said those who believed public bodies could do a better job of making decisions about ferries, while saving money in the process, need look no further than Sydney or Brisbane. A commission of inquiry, set up after the New South Wales State Government-owned Sydney ferries lost A$48 million ($56 million) two years ago, recommended calling in a private operator.
"Today, the State Government is paying seven times the subsidy per passenger trip in a ferry as we receive in Auckland. We use our boats more efficiently here."
