New Derwent ferry service to start on Monday

Michael Ferguson,Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is working hard to bust traffic congestion in southern Tasmania.

The highly anticipated Derwent River ferry trial between Bellerive and Hobart will begin passenger services this coming Monday, 9 August 2021 with eight services each morning and seven in the evening on weekdays.

Morning services will commence at 6:20am from Bellerive Pier with five runs to the city, the last arriving at 9:15am, with outward runs from Brooke Street Pier commencing from 7:20am.

Each crossing will take around 15 minutes and combined will cater for up to 535 passengers inward each morning, and 321 outwards.

Importantly, the 6:20am service into the city has been put in place to cater for our vital shift workers like nurses and emergency responders, as well as other early starters.

Afternoon services will start departures from Brooke Street Pier at 3:50pm, with four runs to Bellerive, the last arriving at 6:05pm, with room for up to 428 passengers in total, and the three afternoon inward bound trips commencing at 4:10pm with space for up to 321 passengers.

The 3:50pm service will again be particularly appealing to our shift workers and early starters that end their workdays earlier, as well as students heading home after school, university or TAFE.

To encourage mode change, passengers with a Metro Greencard or those travelling with a bicycle or e-scooter will ride for free. For those without a Greencard, bike or e-scooter, the cash fares will be $3.50 for adults, $2.40 for concession and $1.80 for children and students.

The new service promises to provide a fast and convenient service and an alternative to travelling by car or bus over the Tasman Bridge to reach the other side of the river.

The new ferry will be a great option for passengers coming into the city that choose to walk, cycle, or be dropped off at the pier and it is also supported by existing Metro Tasmania services including the "Turn Up and Go" services that operate every ten minutes along key routes such as Clarence Street and Cambridge Road.

The Eastern Shore is particularly well serviced with bicycle tracks, presenting a great opportunity to boost active transport particularly for cyclists who don't want to travel over the Tasman Bridge.

The new service will run for an initial one-year trial period with the option of a one-year extension, so I encourage as many Tasmanians as possible to utilise this wonderful new service.

Timetables and more information are available at: transport.tas.gov.au/public_transport or www.derwentferries.com.au.