Keep faith, crippled ferry service urges passengers

Disruption to Auckland's main ferry fleet is raising concern that commuters may be turned off public transport.

Ferry operator Fullers has apologised and urged passengers to keep faith, despite a rare set of mishaps which have left it without its three largest vessels for more than a week.

The company has been force to borrow replacement craft and use buses and taxis to plug remaining gaps.

But Auckland Regional Council transport policy chairman and cross-harbour commuter Joel Cayford said that what was acceptable "in the good old days" could no longer be tolerated now people had to count on reliable public transport to ease road congestion.

Dr Cayford said passengers had been left behind at Devonport because of lack of capacity and he had talked to a regular passenger who had resorted to driving to work, instead of facing such uncertainty. He feared the hard work in persuading more people to use public transport may be jeopardised.

Dr Cayford said that if ferry operators did not have enough resources to guarantee reliable services, they should put a case for more funding to the council's transport authority subsidiary.

Fullers general manager Michael Fitchett said the company had a fleet of nine vessels which normally had ample back-up capacity.

But nobody could have foreseen that engine trouble would hit three of these at once, including the largest vessels, Superflyte and Jet Raider, he said.

The third-largest ferry, Quickcat, fresh from a $1.2 million refit, had failed a sea-trial because of a leaking engine seal.

Mr Fitchett said an engine blow-up on Superflyte the weekend before last, just two months after an even costlier $1.6 million refit, was "heartbreakingly disappointing".

But he hoped both Jet Raider and Quickcat would return to service by the end of this week.

Devonport commuters are meanwhile still restricted to half-hourly morning sailings, compared with their usual 15-minute departures, but services have been restored to Stanley Bay, and most Half Moon Bay trips are back running after expensive outlays last week in replacement coaches and taxis.

Waiheke Island commuters have also faced delays caused by the use of relatively small vessels.