APPENDIX B

SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF MAJOR WATER TRANSIT SYSTEMS

This Appendix presents a summary description of the major water transit systems in other regions around the world and sets forth the common characteristics derived from these successful systems. These "success factors" provide the essential foundation for the Vision and the Conceptual Design of the proposed new Bay Area high speed water transit system.

INTRODUCTION

San Francisco Bay is a majestic natural bay and harbor. The Bay provided a base for development of the area during the Gold Rush and went on to support a major ferry system until the construction of the great bridges in the mid-1930s. Since that time, the use of the Bay for water transit has declined and it has become a significantly under-utilized resource. Other world metropolitan areas located on harbors and bays continue to value and to effectively utilize water transit as a significant component of regional transportation systems. What lessons and guidance can be derived from the experience of other major water transit systems?

To answer these questions, the existing water transit systems for Sydney, Hong Kong, Seattle and Vancouver (British Columbia) were reviewed and analyzed to identify the key factors that lead to their current success. The State Transit Authority of New South Wales, Australia, operates a large water transit system in and around Sydney Harbor. Among large regional cities with water transit, the regional transportation situation in Sydney is perhaps most comparable with that in the Bay Area. Two franchised operators including the famous Star Ferry Company operate ferry systems in Hong Kong. Washington State Ferries (WSF) in Seattle operates the largest ferry system in the USA, serving 8 counties in Washington State and in British Columbia, Canada. In Vancouver, British Columbia, B.C. Transit operates ‘Seabus", a passenger-only marine link across Vancouver harbor, as part of the Vancouver Regional Transit System.

The key characteristics explaining the success of these systems are termed the "success factors". The actions the system operators are considering to ensure the continued success of these systems, such as facility improvements and expansion, were also investigated as part of the water transit system review.

MAJOR WATER TRANSIT SYSTEM SUCCESS FACTORS

This Appendix describes the four successful water transit systems in detail. These systems were analyzed and compared to determine common characteristics. These systems were also compared with the services provided in the Bay Area. The analysis yielded the following ten factors considered the most important to the success of a major water transit system. The Success Factors were adopted by the Blue Ribbon Task Force on September 28, 1998.

World-class water transit systems all have the following "success factors":

1. Scope and Geographic Coverage

2. Frequency of Service

3. Travel Time

4. Reliability

5. Quality of Service

6. Efficiency of Landside Facilities

7. Cost and Fares

8. Intermodal Interface

9. Safety

10. Public Information and Education

The Ten Success Factors are defined as follows:

· Scope and Geographic Coverage: Route-by-route planning efforts must be replaced with a new effort to build a comprehensive network of routes, allowing multi-destination travel by water throughout the region.

· Frequency of Service: Flexibility in departure time is one of the most important factors in travel choice. For water transit services to compete with driving, frequent departures are required. During peak demand times, successful systems operate as frequently as 15 minute and 10 minute intervals.

· Travel Time: In addition to frequency, waterborne travel time needs to be competitive with other modes of transportation in order to attract ridership.

· Reliability: Consistent "guaranteed" on-time service and available seating are essential to sustain ridership levels.

· Quality of Service: The ride must be comfortable and pleasant in order to compete with driving.

· Efficiency of Landside Facilities: Time on the water is not the only factor for consideration. Door-to-door travel time is the operative factor in the decision to use a certain mode of transportation. Successful systems minimize travel time by providing direct pedestrian access to passenger destinations. Short walking distances to downtown business districts or convenient connections to ground services are major determinants of usage. On the suburban sides of the system, convenient parking and transit access are necessary.

· Cost and Fares: Door-to-door costs to the passenger must be competitive with the perceived costs and convenience of vehicles. Fares are a function of overall capital and operational costs for a system.

· Intermodal Interface: Connectivity of surface transportation and pedestrian traffic to the water transit system is a critical factor in ensuring ridership. Transfer between modes must be seamless, and should be facilitated by single-fare transactions. Schedules between modes must be coordinated.

· Safety: Landside and water-borne safety must be assured.

· Public Information and Education: Comprehensive dissemination of information pertaining to the schedules, comfort, convenience, safety, and system connections is intrinsic to the success of mass transit systems.

Table B-1 attached summarizes the experience of the for Sydney, Hong Kong, Seattle and Vancouver systems by the success factors and in comparison with the present Bay Area situation.

Passenger ferry operations in Sydney, Hong Kong, Seattle and Vancouver were analyzed for this study. The information presented for these water transit systems is based on published reports and collection of secondary data. Some data have been adjusted because the various authorities use differing reporting procedures for much of the information.

The following information in Table B-2 shows common elements among the regions studied with respect to geographic coverage in contrast to the Bay Area.

Table B-2

Geographic Coverage of Ferry Systems

It is clear from this comparison that water transit in the Bay Area is significantly underutilized as a major component of the regional transportation system. Simply based on a proportional analysis of the number of riders per year in comparison to the population of the region, Sydney carries more than 7 times the number of passengers annually as the Bay Area, Hong Kong more than 9 times the volume, Seattle more than 15 times, and Vancouver more than 5 times. Hong Kong, with a population very close to that of the Bay Area, and Seattle carry numbers of passengers that approach the concentration of ridership experienced in the Bay Area during the 1920s and 1930s.

In each of the metropolitan areas cited above, the water transit system serves a significant proportion of the transportation needs of the regional population. The systems support frequent and reliable service and are fully integrated with other modes of transit, particularly buses, trains, and subways. The systems and the terminals also are designed to stimulate commercial and residential development in the vicinity--a strategy which both generates more ridership and promotes more efficient land use in the region. The information below in Table B-3 illustrates how the frequency and reliability of service in other regions compares to the Bay Area.

Table B-3

Frequency and Reliability of Service

For a water transportation system to attract ridership from driving alone, the service must be frequent, reliable, and dependable. A world-class water transit system id defined by frequent departures and reliable service, which requires a sufficient size of fleet to provide the service with reliability that approaches 99%. Any system without this kind of frequency and reliability cannot support sufficient ridership to be a significant component of a regional transportation network.

Other important factors contributing to the success of the four major regional systems cited above are travel time and the quality of service. Door-to-door travel time needs to equal or exceed vehicle travel time. Door-to-door time is a function of three variables: the efficiency of feeder bus and other transit services in reaching the terminal; the ease and speed of embarking and disembarking; and the vessel speed and resulting time on the water. To minimize time spent on the water, Sydney and Seattle have introduced smaller capacity, high-speed vessels (35 to 40 knots, or 42 to 48 miles per hour respectively) on express routes. The Vallejo and Larkspur high-speed ferry systems also demonstrate the effectiveness of using high-speed ferries. To ensure rapid loading and unloading, Hong Kong and Vancouver both use end-loading ferries which have the highest disembarkation rates, well over 150 persons per minute.

Efficient and integrated intermodal interface--that is, connections to other transit systems and pedestrian access--is another hallmark of world-class systems. The major water transit systems described herein have terminals and landside facilities designed to promote swift transfer from dock to terminal to waiting transit. Passengers want direct pedestrian access to surrounding business districts and transit alternatives. Sydney, Hong Kong, Seattle and Vancouver all have automated terminals to facilitate rapid movement. All have a fare structure competitive with bridges.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Overview

As in San Francisco, ferries have been part of the Sydney history almost since the first British ships anchored in Sydney Cove in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales. Ferries have played a vital role in the development of communities scattered around the Sydney metropolitan area and today’s modern fleet provides a myriad of inner harbor and river ferry services as well as services across the outer harbor to the seaside resort of Manly. The Sydney water transit system serves a population of nearly 3.3 million residents with 29 terminals, 10 routes totaling 67 miles, and transports 13 millions passengers per year.

Organization

The State Transit Authority of New South Wales is responsible for the operation of the public ferries. The State Transit Authority is the largest operator of buses and ferries in Australia, with services covering much of metropolitan Sydney and Newcastle. State Transit is a self-sufficient entity of the Government of New South Wales. The State Transit legislated objectives are:

· Provide safe, efficient, reliable bus and ferry services.

· Operate as efficiently as any comparable business.

· Maximize the new worth of the State’s investment in business.

· Exhibit a sense of social responsibility towards the community in which it operates.

· Conform to the principals of ecologically sustainable development.

· Exhibit responsibility towards regional development and decentralization.

State Transit was established under the Transport Administration Act of 1988 and, like other bus and ferry operators, works within the regulatory framework of the Passenger Act, 1990. In line with the Transport Administration Act of 1988, the State Transit is governed by a Board consisting of the Chief Executive and seven Directors appointed by the Minister. The Board’s function is to determine the policies of State Transit and guide its strategic direction. The Board is subject to direction from the Minister for Transport but any instructions that impact State Transit’s commercial interests require Government compensation.

The Chief Executive reports to the State Transit Board. Four General Managers in State Transit report to the Chief Executive. Two of these General Managers, the General Manager Sydney Ferries and General Manager Newcastle Buses and Ferries, are responsible for ferries.

In addition to the State Transit Authority, eight private ferry companies in the Sydney area provide excursion cruises, special event services, and express service.

Operations

The State Transit’s ferry services in Sydney covers the Inner Harbor, Parramatta River and Manly. The main ferry terminus is Circular Quay, next to the Sydney Opera House. The system has ten route legs carrying passengers to Manly Cove, located 9.3 nautical miles east of Circular Quay, and to Parramatta, located 18.8 nautical miles west of Circular Quay. Eight other water transit ferry route legs, which provide access to Sydney’s waterfront communities and employment centers, are located on the Bay and the River between these two water transit routes. These routes range from 2.3 to 6.8 nautical miles. In total, the Sydney ferry system includes 29 terminal locations and is approximately 67 nautical miles long.

Several of the ferry routes have been designed to have multiple stops thereby enhancing ridership potential. All water transit routes terminate or originate from Circular Quay located near the central district of Sydney. The major water transit routes and ferry terminal locations for the Sydney water transit system are shown in Figure B-1.

The main role of the Sydney operations is to provide safe, efficient and reliable daily commuter services. It is also an active tourism operator, with daily ferry cruises and special package fares to such major attractions as Taronga Zoo, the Sydney Aquarium, Oceanworld at Manly and the Luna Park fairground. Sydney ferries offer service Monday through Friday, with reduced service on Saturday and Sunday. The weekday services are operated on 15-minute to 30-minute headway providing for timely service.

State Transit recently expanded the vessel fleet with two new 150-seat passenger vessels to accommodate the growing passenger volume on the Parramatta River service. These vessels operate at two knots and will be used on the Parramatta River and also for some Inner Harbor service.

The Newcastle services operate over an area extending from Caves Beach in the south, north to the Hunter River and from Newcastle Central Business District in the east to Sandgate in the west. Two ferries operate a link across the Hunter River between Newcastle CBD and Stockton.

Recent key operating achievements include the following:

· The Harbor Beaches summer ferry service experienced a 50 percent increase.

· The RiverCat was successfully used to supplement the Manly JetCat service.

· The newly refurbished Lady Street ferry was launched to meet the growing needs in the harbor cruise market.

· The "Two Millionth Passenger" was carried on the Parramatta RiverCat service.

· Fare evasion was reduced on Sydney’s ferry services by introducing permanent transit liaison officers and removing concession tickets from vending machines.

· Frequency based timetables were introduced for the Parramatta River services, resulting in increased patronage.

State Transit’s vessel fleet of 29 vessels separate into five different classes of ferries:

· The Manly ferry (13-meter beam, 70-meter length) has a capacity of 1,100.

· JetCat provide a high speed service between the City and Manly (10-meter beam, 35 meter length) has a seating capacity of 280.

· Lady Class ferry (11-meter beam, 44-meter length) has a capacity of 600 people.

· First Fleet catamaran (25-meter beam, 10-meter breadth) has a capacity of 400 people.

· RiverCat, used on the Parramatta River and the main harbor (10-meter beam, 37-meter length) has a capacity of 230 people.

A financial summary of the Sydney ferry services is provided in Table B-4. As indicated, ridership has increased, resulting in slightly higher revenues, with costs being closely controlled. Passenger revenues increased nearly seven percent between 1994 and 1997, while passenger costs decreased five percent. During the same time period patronage increased 18 percent.

New and Improved Services

In the latter months of 1996, State Transit introduced a number of new services, particularly for the tourist market:

· Service to Pyrmont, after a new ferry wharf was opened in October 1996.

· Service to Fort Denison and Goat Island under contract to National Parks and Wildlife Services ($135,000 per year).

· "Nightzoo," provided as part of the regular Mosman night service to provide transport for visitors to the zoo at night.

· Special event services, such as cruises to Navy open day, Australia Day, New Year’s Eve and garden cruise.

Improved services include the following:

· The Parramatta River service continued to grow, and in 1997, the Parramatta and Meadowbank services were combined to provide increased frequency and capacity. The Parramatta River service experienced total growth of 40 percent in 1997.

· Harbor cruises grew by over 30 percent and continue to grow, particularly after the cruise formats were changed to two one-hour morning harbor cruises rather than one longer cruise. Tourist services are now a significant growth area for State Transit.

· The Lady Street and Queenscliff vessels were refurbished, and the Lady Street was launched as a cruise vessel.

· Three additional return trips were introduced on the Stockton ferry services on Sunday nights and public holidays.

Intermodal Connections

State Transit improved the integration of bus and ferry providing improved bus/ferry connections at Manly and Meadowbank. State Transit introduced 30 new 32-seat "Midi" buses; 24 in Newcastle and 6 at North Sydney, to service the inner harbor ferry wharves where maneuverability is required.

In response to community surveys, State Transit recently implemented the following service revisions:

· Parramatta Timetable - combined Parramatta and Meadowbank timetables to increase service and reliability to and from Parramatta.

· JetCat Evening Service - "P" services adjusted to connect with buses at Manly Wharf.

· Harbor Beaches Services - Summer Hours service - Balmoral, Quarantive Station, Manly and Watsons Bay.

· Intermodal connections with CityRail and Monorail were added to increase the pedestrian "reach" of the ferries.

Ticketing

Sydney buses, Sydney ferries and city rail have many different ticketing options to make travel around Sydney economical, simple and efficient. The five ticketing options are:

Travel Ten - Ten-ride bus ticket.

Ferry Ten - Ten-ride ferry ticket.

TravelPass "Sydney Pass" - Weekly tickets for 7-day use on Sydney buses, Sydney ferries and CityRail trains.

Bus Tripper - All-day bus ticket.

Daypass - All-day ferry ticket.

A multimodal integrated ticketing system is under development by the Public Transport Authority of New South Wales, which was created to oversee development of this system. Integrated ticketing is an unprecedented initiative in New South Wales. It will allow users to travel for the first time with one ticket on private buses and ferries, CityRail, State Transit, buses and ferries and light rail. Transit passengers in Sydney already have access to integration between State Transit buses and ferries and CityRail trains. Full integration will extend this ticketing system to cover travel on private bus and ferry services.

State Transit is committed to making its services more accessible in line with Australia’s National Accessibility Standards for public facilities. The following steps are being implemented to improve accessibility to ferries:

· New wider vessel gangways at terminals.

· Ramps were replaced at Mosman Wharf to ensure access for the disabled.

· Ferry gang planks at Newcastle terminals were improved to provide for better access.

Future Plans and Strategies

Between 1997 and 2002, State Transit anticipates that its business will expand due to ongoing and new initiatives and others initiatives is planning to implement. The strategies guiding the future planning include:

· Improved service by pressing for infrastructure improvements to speed the ferries up, make them more comfortable and accessible, and put new in services to meet the changing needs of the community.

· Ensuring that the net cost of services to government and customers is minimized with maximized returns to provide better services and to attract more people from private cars.

· Improving the urban environment by vigorously promoting environmentally responsible services and purchasing environmentally friendly equipment.

· Continuing to contribute to regional development and decentralization through providing bus and ferry services to Newcastle and implementing other relevant programs such as the Government’s purchasing preference policy.

These strategies, to be implemented through a number of programs, are designed to ensure that services will continue to improve and offer a feasible alternative to the automobile. Significant programs implementing these strategies include:

· Installation of a new automatic fare collection system for Sydney Ferries.

· Improved integration of fares and timetables with different transport modes.

· Investigation of new ferry services to support harborside development.

· Advocating social and environmental benefits of public transport.

· Reduction of air pollution.

· Improved environmental standards at terminals and with all vessels.

Several customer service improvements have been implemented to increase convenience to the passenger. These include terminal renovations at Circular Quay to provide portable ticket offices, and installation of public address systems at nine remote terminals to keep customers informed of changes to services. To improve security at Circular Quay, extra lighting and video surveillance were installed on the wharves. Additionally, State Transit promotes internal and external reviews to better understand customer needs.

Hong Kong

Overview

The Hong Kong water transit system serves a population of approximately 6.5 million residents with 23 terminals, 19 routes totaling 100 miles, and transports 30 million passengers per year. The ferries in the inner harbor of Hong Kong supplement cross-harbor buses and mass transit railway transportation. Every day, around 10 million passengers take trips on the public transport systems, which include two high-capacity railways, trams, buses, minibuses, taxis and ferries. Approximately 90 percent of Hong Kong’s population depend on public transport. There are approximately 266 licensed vehicles for every kilometer of road in the territory, and the topography makes it increasingly difficult to provide additional road capacity in the heavily built-up areas.

Organization

The Commissioner for Transport governs operations of the ferries and terminals in Hong Kong through two sets of regulations: the Shipping and Port Regulations and the Merchant Shipping Regulations.

The Shipping and Port Regulations (Hong Kong, China and Macau Ferry Terminals) govern the designation of terminals and definition of a ferry vessel. These regulations define:

· The control of the terminal including vessel access, control of arrivals and departures, and the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers.

· The identification of restricted areas and rules applying to employees.

· The governing of business and advertising in terminals, allowance of animals and special cargo, enforcement of passenger rules.

· The setting of berthing fees and passenger embarkation fees.

The Merchant Shipping Regulations (Launches and Ferry Vessels) apply to vessels not exceeding 300 tons, to other pleasure vessels within the meaning of the Merchant Shipping (Pleasure Vessels) Regulations, and to ferry vessels of any tonnage. These regulations define:

· General provisions relating to the issuance of license and permits.

· Surveys to be conducted to address passenger space ratios, and passenger loads.

· Certificates of competency addressing the master and a person in charge of the machinery which is the holder of an appropriate and valid local certificate of competency as engineer.

· Requirements for maintenance, handling and guidelines for reporting of accidents and damage.

The Government of Hong Kong’s policy on ferries includes the following positions:

· Ferries are an essential link to the outlying islands where land transport alternatives are not available. They also provide a useful alternative between Central and the New Towns. In the inner harbor, ferries play a supplementary role.

· Ferry services in Hong Kong are mainly to be provided by two franchisees, Hong Kong & Yaumati Ferry Company Limited (HYF) and Star Ferry. Franchises are granted by the Executive Council.

· A ferry operator may be granted a right to operate a ferry route in the form of a license. Licensed ferry services cater for demand that does not justify franchising the routes, e.g., non-essential services, recreational services and special services such as vehicular services for dangerous goods vehicles. Licenses are granted by the Commissioner for Transport. At present, there 21 regular licensed ferry services and 87 "kaito" routes serving remote coastal towns. The franchised and licensed services (excluding kaito routes) together carried 200,000 passengers a day in 1997.

· In view of the rising operating costs and declining patronage, ferry franchisees have been facing great financial difficulties. The Administration has conducted a thorough review of the existing franchised networks to identify means to enable operators to make the best use of available resources to maintain and improve essential ferry services. The review has resulted in the cancellation of some HYF’s non-essential routes so that the Company may deploy resources to maintain and improve essential services to the outlying islands. The non-essential routes excised from the network, where justifiable, will be tendered out as licensed services to let market forces determine the value of their continued existence, their service and fare levels and scale of operations.

Operations

The Hong Kong water transit system has 19 local water transit routes operated by two companies discussed below. These route legs carry passengers as far as Sam Ka Tsuen to the east and to Shek Tsai -Po located 31.3 nautical miles to the west of Shueng Wan on Hong Kong Island. Additional water transit routes mostly operate on Victoria Harbor. Access to all routes is provided through a total of 23 ferry terminals on the Kowloon (mainland) and Hong Kong Island sides of the Harbor.

Unlike the water transit systems of Sydney and San Francisco, the Hong Kong water transit system has multiple hub terminals where routes converge. It is also possible to transfer to other modes of transit as well as other water transit routes. This regional route structure of 23 ferry terminals and 19 local water transit routes carries an estimated 80 million passengers annually. The existence of a dense user population in Hong Kong and Kowloon combined with the short water transit distance across Victoria Bay provide large ridership for the system. Additionally, two routes within this route system accommodate cross-harbor vehicle traffic. The total length of the water transit system is approximately 100 nautical miles. However, 15 routes are two nautical miles or less. The major water transit routes and ferry terminal locations for the Hong Kong water transit system are shown in Figure B-2.

Ferry Companies

Two franchised operators, (a) Star Ferry Company, Limited and (b) Hong & Yaumati Company, Limited, provide most of the ferry service in Hong Kong.

Star Ferry Company, Limited

Star Ferry Company, Limited, running between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, is among the most renowned and efficient ferry company in the world. Vessels leave from Wanchai and Central on Hong Kong Island side, and Honghom and Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side. The Star Ferry Company operates 12 vessels across the harbor, and during the mid-90’s, carried 36 million passengers annually on its three routes.

Star Ferry, which has been operating since 1898, provides a valuable service to commuters and a memorable experience for tourists. A ride from Tsin Sha Tsui to Central on the upper deck costs US$0.26, or US$0.22 on the lower deck. Tsim Sha Tsui/Central service runs from 6:00 am to 11:30 p.m. daily. Star Ferry also runs between Central and Hung Hom from 7:00 to 7:20 p.m. and between Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai from 7:30 am to 11:00 p.m.

The inexpensive and scenic journey explains why nearly 100,000 passengers use Star Ferry every day, despite competition from three cross-harbor tunnels and an efficient subway line. Current ridership is down 50 percent from the peak volumes the ferries used to carry when the Star Ferry was the only cross-harbor ferry transit in operations. Today, the 12-ferry operation manages to break even, due to added revenue from advertising and shop rentals.

In the spring of 1998, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong government approved to grant a new franchise to Star Ferry. The Council gave the Company the right to operate the Central - Tsim Sha Tsui route and the Wan Chai-Tsim Sha Tsui route for ten years, and the Central-Hung Hom route for one year. The Government’s decision was based on established ferry policy and Star Ferry’s excellent performance record.

The Central-Hung Hom route provided by Star Ferry, provides a supplementary transportation service to the alternative land transport. The Government is reviewing this route with the other Hung Hom ferry services operated by HYF, whose franchise will expire March 31, 1999. In the interim, Star Ferry will continue to operate the Central-Hung Hom route for another year to tie in with the expiration of the franchise of the HYF Hung Hom routes. In reviewing the operation of these services, the Government will take into account the traveling needs of local residents, the commercial viability of these routes and the need to improve the operating efficient of these services.

Hong Kong & Yaumati Ferry Company, Limited

The Hong Kong & Yaumati Ferry Company, Limited (HYF) is one of the largest ferry operators in the world. HYF operates a fleet of 74 vessels, comprising double- and triple-deck ferries, vehicular ferries, hoverferries and catamarans. Their ferries carry an average of 119,000 passengers daily and 6,565 vehicles daily equating to approximately 43 million passengers annually.

HYF provides a comprehensive network of ferry services across Hong Kong harbor and links Hong Kong Island with outlying districts. The company operates 24 local ferry services. There are six cross-harbor passenger services, one cross-harbor vehicular service, two new town passenger services, six passenger outlying district services, four licensed passenger services, two excursion passenger services, one frequent vehicular services to Lantau for dangerous goods and ordinary vehicles. Fares range from US$0.49 to US$3.42 for passenger services and charges for vehicles on the cross-harbor services range from US$0.58 for motorcycles to US$18.70 for long vehicles.

Other Ferry Services

In addition to the Star Ferry Company and the Hong & Yaumati Company, 17 other ferry operators provide services, including those to Discovery Bay (south side of Honk Kong Island) and Lantau. These are supplemented by kaitos, or local village ferry services, which are licensed to serve remote coastal settlements. A kaito is a small- to medium-sized ferry making short runs. In Hong Kong, these short runs are from Aberdeen to Lamma Island. The 17 ferry companies are:

· Chu Kong Shipping Co, Ltd. Passenger ferry services from Hong Kong to 20 Pearl River Delta Ports.

· Fortune Ferry Co, Ltd. Passenger ferry services, hiring of passenger carrying launches.

· CTS-Parkview Ferry Services Ltd. Operates and manages ferry services to Macau & Shenzhen; offers management service for operators in shipping and transportation field.

· Hop Shing Kung Ferry Co, Ltd. Passenger ferry services; hiring of passenger carrying launches.

· Jick Kee Motor Boat Co. Providing passenger launch services.

· Kam Fat Motor Boat Co. Providing passenger launch services.

· Laissez Faire Co. Passenger ferry launches, pleasure vessels and high speed vessels services.

· Luen Hop Motor Boat Co. Supplying passenger launches & pleasure vessels; conveyance of harbor workers.

· New Moonraker Motorboat Co, Ltd. Passenger launch, ferry and tugboat services.

· The Polly Ferry Co, Ltd. Passenger ferry services; hiring of passenger carrying launches.

· The Republic Motorboat Co, Ltd. Passenger launch, ferry services.

· Superich Marine Services Ltd. Passenger launch, ferry and tug boat services.

· Tsui Wah Ferry Service Co, Ltd. Passenger launch, ferry and tug boat services.

· Wing Yip Shipping & Transportation Co, Ltd. Charter & sale of commercial fast launches with air-conditioning, tug boats, barges coaches & private cars, local tours and catering.

· Wing Yuk Transportation Co. Passenger launch, ferry and tug boat services.

· Yuet Fat Launch Co. Providing passenger launch services.

· Yuet Fat Motor Boat & Transportation Co. Hiring of passenger-carrying launches.

Regional Ferry Terminals

The regional ferry terminals in Hong Kong and Kowloon serve the mainland and Macau. They handle more passengers than the Hong Kong International Airport. The China Ferry Terminal offers travel to more than 30 destinations in China and the Macau Ferry Terminal serves the nearby Portuguese enclave of Macau.

China Ferry Terminal

The China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon serves ferries that travel to 30 destinations in China. About 15,000 people use the terminal every day, resulting in an annual throughput of about 5.2 million passengers. The growth rate of passenger traffic is higher than that of the Kai Tak Airport, and a new terminal is now being planned.

In addition, there are over 20 sailings a day to Macau from this terminal, designed to attract passengers based on Kowloon. Of the ten berths at the terminal, three are on the main pier and are used by conventional vessels. The other berths are used by dynamically-supported vessels (e.g.; hydrofoils and jet foils) which have special berthing and draft requirements.

Macau Ferry Terminal

The Macau Terminal is located in Hong Kong adjacent to the Shun Tak Center. Berths which serve the inner and outer islands are connected to the Shun Tak Center by pedestrian bridges. The large high speed ferries use the outer berths and all other berths are used on demand by jet foils, hydrofoils and catamaran ferries. About 40,000 people use the terminal every day, resulting in an annual throughput of about 14 million passengers.

Future Plans and Strategies

With the continued development of road and rail infrastructure, the role of some ferry services is expected to change in the future. Routes serving Mui Wo and Discovery Bay will cease to be essential with the completion of the Mui Wo-Tai Ho road link and the Discovery Bay Tunnel. However, continuation of the passenger services to Central will provide useful links for relieving pressure on the road system. Routes serving Western New Territories which currently provide alternatives to congested land routes will diminish in importance after the completion of the Airport Railway, Route 3 and West Rail. However, ferry services could play a useful short-term role in case of any mismatch between the completion of residential developments and adequate road infrastructure.

Unlike buses and railways with en-route stops, Hong Kong ferries tend to operate between two fixed points. This limits their catchment area and passenger base. Although public transport interchange facilities are provided near ferry piers as a matter of policy, their effectiveness in enhancing the attractiveness of ferry services is constrained by the additional time, fare and inconvenience involved in interchanging. Adding calling points would not help either as it would lengthen the journey time considerably.

In addition, the following developments affect the competitiveness of ferry services in the Hong Kong area:

· New road and rail infrastructure: increasingly comprehensive and efficient road and rail networks, and the associated expansion of land-based public transport, continue to abstract ferry passengers.

· Harbor reclamation: piers are affected by harbor reclamation and need to by relocated to newly reclaimed land before the surrounding areas are fully developed. The longer walking distance and reduced convenience inevitably lead to a drop in patronage on the affected ferry routes.

· Speed restriction inside harbor: the increasing volume of marine traffic calls for tighter speed restrictions inside the harbor for safety reasons. This increases the journey time of ferry services which makes them less attractive.

· Little incentive to improve: without reasonable financial returns and attractive prospects, ferry operators are unable to invest on improving the quality of their services to meet the rising expectations of the public. This leads to a further drop in patronage and results in decline.

· Hong Kong ferry services are costly to operate: on a per seat per year basis, the capital cost of a high-speed ferry is four to six times as high as an air-conditioned bus. The number of operating crew required is also considerably more.

· Although the ferry fare has been kept at a competitive rate (about 25 cents), ridership on the Star system has declined since the competing under-bay subway system opened. This is because the subway system itself is an efficient intermodal connection to Kowloon on the mainland side of the harbor and it has not yet reached a level of congestion that would cause passengers to return to ferries.

· Piers and the associated public transport interchange facilities are costly and take time to construct, i.e., a one-berth pier costs about $5 million and its construction takes two to three years. Construction of new piers is only justified if there is a strong demand for expansion of ferry services. On the other hand, the shortage of piers at prime locations limits the potential development of ferry services.

Immediate-Term Improvement Measures

Ferries will continue to provide essential transport services for the outlying islands. These services have to be maintained and further improved. In this regard, the Administration has been negotiating with HYF on a pier development package at Central Reclamation so that profits generated from the pier development could be used to improve essential ferry services to the outlying islands and to reduce the pressure on future fare increases. The proposed improvements include the purchase of faster vessels and the provision of air-conditioning at the Central piers.

Apart from providing essential links to the outlying islands, ferries can play a useful role in relieving pressure on the road system and providing an alternative to congested land routes, including temporary road congestion in case of any mismatch between the completion of residential developments and road infrastructure. However, the short-term demand for such services makes the operations commercially not viable. To provide for stop-gap services, the Administration will explore whether public landing steps or pontoons can be used where there are suitable sites with appropriate landside facilities.

In addition, the Administration is exploring means to improve the commercial viability and attractiveness of ferry services. These include:

· Increasing the source of non fare-box income, e.g. encouraging more commercial concessions at piers.

· Granting exemptions to speed limits within the harbor. Upgrading facilities at piers and their adjoining areas, e.g. Yung Shue Wan pier.

· Planning commercial and residential developments above and in the vicinity of ferry piers to attract more passengers.

· Providing convenient covered pedestrian walkways to ferry piers.

Long-Term Planning

The Administration is examining in detail the market niche for waterborne transport and the role of ferry services in the context of the Third Comprehensive Transport Study, with regard to the future population distribution and travel pattern. The study is due to be completed in early 1999. At the district level, the Administration will conduct traffic and town planning studies to review the need for ferry services in individual districts, including the feasibility and usefulness of ferries in providing relief of road congestion. An example is the planning study on Hong Kong Island South and Lamma Island. The table below shows a comparison between capital costs and staffing requirements.

Table B-4

Comparison of Capital Costs and Staffing Requirements of Hong Kong Ferries and Buses

Note:

1 Life span of a 500-seat catamaran is 15 years

2 Life span of a 200-seat catamaran is 7 years

3 Life span of a triple-decker is 30 years.

4 Life Span Of An Air-Conditioned Bus Is 14 Years.

Seattle - Washington State Ferries

Overview

Washington State Ferries (WSF) is the nation’s largest ferry system, serving eight counties in Washington and the Province of British Columbia in Canada. The WSF water transit system serves a population of approximately 2.9 million residents with 20 terminals, 10 routes totaling 81 miles, and transports 25 million passengers per year and 11 million vehicles with 26 vessels. Current 20-year demand projections call for substantial growth for passengers and vehicles in both peak and non-peak periods. The implications of the projected growth rates are substantial and, according to WSF’s Draft Long Range System Plan, will require significant capital investments in vessels and terminals over the study period.

Organization

The WSF system operates both as an extension of the State’s highway system and as a means of mass transportation. WSF’s revenue sources, including federal funding, state funding, bond sales, and fares, are strictly regulated. WSF operating and maintenance expenses are financed through the Marine Operating Account. This account is funded by WSF fares and other WSF revenues, as well as the Puget Sound Ferry Operating Account. The Passenger Ferry Account was created by the state legislature in 1995 for funding projects that benefit Passenger-Only Ferry (POF) service. It is funded through the special motor vehicle excise tax that municipalities may impose for public transportation systems. In counties with a population over 175,000 that do not have any interstate highway within its borders, a portion (4.5 percent) of that special tax collected by municipalities is deposited to the Passenger Ferry Account. This account is used to fund passenger ferry projects such as pedestrian and transit facilities at ferry terminals and the construction of passenger-only ferries.

Operations

WSF is an efficient means of mass transit and every ferry terminal outside the San Juan Islands has connecting public transit service. In 1997, the system carried approximately 18,600 walk-on passengers per day. Walk-on passengers comprised 27 percent of all WSF passengers. The majority (69 percent) of walk-on passengers are found on routes serving downtown Seattle, where many jobs are within walking distance of the Colman Dock terminal. In fiscal year 1997, the Bremerton-Seattle passenger-only service carried 285,043 riders while the Vashon-Seattle passenger-only service carried 254,891 riders.

WSF first started passenger-only ferry service in 1978, with a POF Jetfoil service for a six-week trial period in conjunction with Boeing. After that, the concept lay dormant until 1984 when WSF included in its Long-Range Plan Update 1990-2000 a recommendation to provide POF service as a way of relieving traffic congestion on targeted routes. Until recently, WSF operated three POF vessels on two services. WSF purchased its first passenger-only vessel in 1986, the Express (later renamed the Tyee), and began service in 1987 on the Seattle-Bremerton route. The second and third passenger-only vessels, the Kalama and the Skagit, were constructed for WSF in

1989 and placed into service in 1990. At that time, POF service was extended to include a new Seattle-Vashon service. The Seattle-Bremerton route is 13.5 nautical miles; the Seattle-Vashon route is 8.5 nautical miles in length

According to a recent audit report on the Washington State Ferry system:

"WSF’s success in operating these vessels has been mixed. Engine problems and poor wake-wash characteristics have resulted in high maintenance costs (including an engine replacement on one vessel), and operation of the POFs at reduced speed along the Rich Passage shoreline. The outcome of these problems is that WSF’s POF service is slower and less reliable than planned. It does not offer any substantial time savings to Seattle-Bremerton passengers over the auto-passenger services on the same route. POF ridership has declined slightly over the past five years, but by reducing service, WSF has managed to increase capacity utilization. Current utilization ranges from 22 percent to 27 percent annually, but it may be as high as 100 percent on the Seattle-Vashon route during peak commuting hours. In comparison, utilization of current Seattle-Bremerton auto-passenger ferries may reach 53 percent during peak operating hours, with sufficient capacity to support passenger activity of the POF service as well."

Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Inc.

Department of Transportation Ferry System Performance Audit

(prepared for the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee)

August 3, 1998

The audit recommends that privatizing the POF should be considered, specifically so that a private operator could utilize lower-cost labor and realize considerable operating cost savings compared to current operations.

A passenger-only fast ferry, the Chinook, entered service in June, 1998 to meet the needs of the Seattle/Bremerton route after more than three years in planning, design and construction. The 143-foot vessel has a top speed of 40 knots. The Chinook cost $9.6 million. Funding was provided from Surface Transportation Funds ($3 million), FTA Section 3 funds ($2.2 million), FTA Section 9 funds ($4 million) and the State of Washington.

The Seattle/Bremerton route needed a vessel that was capable of fast speeds to reduce travel time, while generating a low wake to minimize waterfront erosion along its route. More specifically, the need was for a fast, reliable vessel that could go through Rich Passage outside of Bremerton at 30 knots without wake disturbances, making the trip between Bremerton and Seattle in 35 minutes or less. This class of ferry carries 350 passengers, compared to the 250 passengers that can be carried by the earlier passenger-only ferries (Kalama and Skagit) and 329 passengers by the Tyee. For comparison, the new class of passenger/vehicle ferries, the Jumbo Mark II, which includes the Tacoma, Wenatchee, and Puyallup, went into service in 1998. Each can carry 2,500 passengers and 218 vehicles.

During 1996 and 1997, growth in passenger ridership exceeded growth in vehicle ridership. The average growth in passengers during the two years was 2.3 percent per year. By contrast, the number vehicles and drivers on the ferry system increased at an average rate of 1.6 percent per year. WSF categorizes ridership into vehicle drivers and passengers, with the latter category further subdivided into passengers in vehicles and passengers who walk onto the ferry. The number of walk-on and vehicle passengers indicates the extent to which WSF is being used as a mass transportation system as opposed to an extension of the highway system. Of the almost 25 million people carried by WSF including drivers and all passengers in fiscal year 1997, 56 percent (14 million) were walk-on or vehicle passengers.

Seattle-Bremerton and Seattle-Vashon passenger-only fares are $1.75 one-way. Within WSF’s tariff structure, there are three major fare categories: full fare, reduced commuter fare, and other. Those who are not frequent ferry users usually pay the full fare posted at the ticket booths. Reduced fare ticket books are available for frequent users or commuters.

WSF has been working with the Puget Sound Regional Council and the major regional transit agencies, including King County/Metro, Kitsap, Pierce, Everett and Community Transits, to automate fare collection and consolidate fares for all modes of mass transit. This project, called Smart Card, will give travelers a single pass to use for all segments of their commute. The Smart Card represents a payment option that would help develop "seamless" links among ferries, buses and trains, meeting a key goal adopted by area transportation providers.

Future Plans and Strategies

A WSF long-range system plan is a key element of the Statewide Multimodal System Plan. The system plan included a list of capital improvements necessary to meet WSF’s future needs. The 20-year plan was divided into two 10-year segments. Investments in terminals would be the focus of the first decade, followed by investments in vessels in the second. Prioritized capital terminal projects include improvements at Colman Dock, Edmonds, Mukilteo, Anacortes, Clinton, Bremerton, Southworth, Point Defiance, and Tahlequah. In addition, passenger-only facilities were recommended to be established or expanded at Colman Dock, Southworth, and Kingston terminals.

WSF, the City of Bremerton, Kitsap Transit, Port of Bremerton, and Kitsap County have teamed up to support a major downtown redevelopment on the Bremerton waterfront called Sinclair Landing. The project will include a mix of land uses to revitalize downtown Bremerton, including waterfront condominiums, a grocery store, office buildings, restaurants, an entertainment center with movie theaters, a hotel, a conference facility, retail space, and a new Bremerton Multimodal Transportation Center.

The new transportation center would focus on "seamless" transportation connections between bus, ferry, car, bicycle, and pedestrian modes. Amenities would include a second level transit deck with 24 bus bays, ADA-accessible drop-off and pick-up areas, bicycle lockers, and a concourse connecting the transportation center with Sinclair Landing. The terminal is designed to accommodate two POFs for 35-minute service between Bremerton and Seattle with a separate facility located off of the First Street Dock. The project is expected to begin construction in 1999.

The "Passenger-Only Ferry (POF) Program Implementation Plan" study and report was commissioned by the Washington State Transportation Commission and funded by the state legislature. The report focuses on implementation of two new POF routes: Kingston-Seattle and Southworth-Seattle, and improved service on the Vashon and Bremerton POF routes. New passenger-only service from Southworth and Kingston to Seattle is dependent on voter approval in November.

"There are a number of important lessons learned from the State’s initial experience with passenger ferries. These ‘lessons learned’ relate to the appropriate design and specification of vessel propulsion systems and engines, and wake-wash impacts. The state has subsequently established new, more stringent specifications and procurement requirements."

"The most important consideration in developing a successful POF program is the provision of consistently reliable and regularly scheduled service. Meeting this goal requires an appropriate vessel design for Puget Sound; an adequate number of standardized vessels to provide seamless replacement service during scheduled and unscheduled maintenance periods; and adequate terminal and maintenance facilities…"

"Also, good transit connections on both sides of Puget Sound are critical to the overall success of the program. Encouraging people to switch from auto to passenger mode requires effective ferry-transit connectivity."

Washington State Transportation Commission

Implementation Plan: Passenger-Only Ferry Program

December, 1993

The recommended vessel for expanded POF service is a 350-passenger, 30-knot catamaran with waterjet propulsion and bow-loading. Travel times to Seattle for each route at 30 knots are: Bremerton, 34 minutes; Southworth, 28 minutes; Kingston, 35 minutes; and Vashon, 26 minutes. Optimally, POF service frequencies would be 30 minutes during peak periods on all routes. Experience with the Chinook POF service during its first two months of service has been very successful. Travel time has been cut almost in half. Traffic on the state’s passenger-only ferries, including the older, conventional designs, more than doubled after the Chinook began operating. The boat cruises at 34 knots (about 39 mph). There have been some complaints from residents on the waterfront of Rich Passage that the Chinook’s wakes are damaging shorelines and bulkheads. These claims have yet to be substantiated. More experience with this new service needs to be evaluated before firm conclusions can be drawn. Another Chinook-class vessel is under construction now and four more are planned for the next two years.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Overview

The Vancouver water transit system serves a population of approximately 1.8 million residents with 2 terminals, 1 route of 1.75 miles in length, and transports 5 million passengers per year.

Organization

"SeaBus" is a passenger-only marine link across Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet. It is a part of the Vancouver Regional Transit System which serves 1,800,000 people in an area of 1,800 square kilometers. The route crossing is 1.75 nautical miles. Burrard Inlet is spanned at its western end by the Lions Gate Bridge and toward the eastern end by the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Bridge. The ferries went into service in June 1977.

The total capital cost of the system was $Cdn 36 million in 1977 dollars. SeaBus operating costs are consolidated with all Vancouver Regional Transit System bus operations, which total $Cdn 283 million for fiscal year 1998-99.

Operations

The "SeaBus" service consists of two ferries and terminals at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver and near Granville Street on the south shore in Vancouver. The route crossing is 1.75 nautical miles. The SeaBus marine link is coordinated with shore-side services to form a cohesive transportation system linking the two municipalities. The fare system for SeaBus is fully integrated with that for buses and for SkyTrain (Vancouver’s automated light rapid transit system). The service area is divided into three zones with North Vancouver and Vancouver being in different zones. Hence, a SeaBus trip is a two-zone trip, the regular fare for which is $2.25 for an adult. A fare is valid for 90 minutes from the time of purchase.

The system currently has a maximum capacity of 400 persons using only two ferries. Crossing time is about 12 minutes with departures from each end at 15 minutes intervals. Two ferries provide service from about 6:00 am to about 18:30 p.m. Between 18:30 p.m. and 12:20 am only one ferry operates. On-time departures have exceeded 99 percent of scheduled times. The ferries are double-ended aluminum catamarans with equal speed and maneuverability in each direction. They are 112’ long, 41’ wide and are powered by four 12V-71 NA Detroit Diesels. Each has a crew of four and a service speed of 13.5 knots.

The system is designed to accommodate eight ferries. Two SeaBus ferries carry the equivalent of one lane of bridge traffic across Burrard Inlet at the current average vehicle occupancy rate. Peak ridership occurs in the summer with the record for one day being over 28,000 boardings. In 1997 boardings were just over 5,000,000. During a time of rehabilitation work on the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Bridge, SeaBus increased passenger counts by 35 to 40 percent, providing a valuable alternative to many new riders who usually travel by car.

The tidal range in Vancouver is large. The passenger terminals float in order to automatically compensate for the approximate 18-foot tide amplitude. To minimize harbor speed for a specific capacity, turnaround time was minimized by adopting a flow-through loading/unloading technique. For every one minute delay in the terminal, an additional two knots of speed is required in transit to make up this loss. The total ferry passenger space was designed to form six equal rectangular areas serviced by wide (5’-6") doors at either end. A ferry can be off-loaded and re-loaded with 400 passengers in as little as 90 seconds. Maintenance and overhaul berths were supplied separately and are immediately adjacent to the passenger terminal on the North Shore. These same berths are used for nightly (2:00 am to 6:00 am) cleaning, refueling, removing sewage and used oil, and pumping bilges.

About 60 percent of all SeaBus riders are transfers from other transit modes. Of all riders from the North Shore to Vancouver waterfront station, 55 percent transfer to the SkyTrain, which has 20 stations distributed over a 28 kilometer line between the Waterfront Station and the King George Station in suburban Surrey.

Riders and management perceive the system as being very successful. SeaBus management attributes the success of the system to: (a) schedule reliability; (b) rapid crossing time; and

(c) convenient and abundant public transit connections at each end.

REFERENCES

Case, John , Maritime Industries, 1980. The Sea-Bus Story, Vancouver.

China Bureau, 1997. Back to the Future: The Handover of Hong Kong, The Star Ferry.

District Marine Office, 1998. Procedures for Licensing of Local Vessels.

Government Report, March 17, 1998. Government Approves New Franchise for "Star" Ferry.

Transport Bureau, 1998. Provisional Legislative Council Panel on Transport Future of Waterborne Transport.

Government of New South Wales. 1996/97 State Transit Annual Report, State Transit Authority of New South Wales.

Government of New South Wales, Section 80, Shipping and Port Control (Hong Kong - China and Macau Ferry Terminals) Regulations.

Government of New South Wales, Section 35, Merchant Shipping (Launches and Ferry Vessels) Regulations.

Government of New South Wales, 1998. Sydney Ferries Network

Fenko/N.D. Lea, 1972. Feasibility Study of Ferry Mass Transit, Vancouver

Larry Miller/BC Transit, 1984. Vancouver Sea Bus System: The Appropriate Technology

For an Integrated Transit Network

On the Go Traffic Update, City of Sydney, August 1998

SydneyPass, Sydney Buses Ticket Options, 1998.