Are Ferries Really the Best Form of Public Transit?
TLDR: Ferries really are the most cost effective, highest capacity, and highest frequency mode of public transport there is, but they have some major drawbacks...
What if I told you there is form of transit with higher capacity than trains, higher frequency than busses, and could operate 24 hours a day 365 days a year consistently easier than both trains and busses combined?
If you haven’t already guessed it from the title, it’s the humble ferry!
When I mention ferries, people often think of the joyful gondola rides in Venice, or the massive cruise-ships overflowing with old people and Covid-19 in a tourist destination near you.
However, the best use case for ferries are to play a crucial role in many cities’ public transit.
So why is the “King” of public transit so good, and why is it not talked-about more?
This article will give you all the answers!
Why are Ferries so Good?
Insane Capacity
A ferry is literary a floating box, and even smaller ferries have a massive capacity compared to its train and bus counterparts. For example, the Staten Island ferry in New York has a capacity of 5,200 passengers. That is equivalent to four full 16-car Shinkansen trains!
Low Maintenance Cost
First, since you require no infrastructure to operate ferry routes, there is $0 maintenance cost for them. No concrete, no tracks; only lovely water that takes care of itself (well, at least in terms of being optimal for ferries).
Secondly, ferry terminals are much simpler to build than metro stations and bus terminals. No need to create the station underground, no designated road-ways, and no need for staircases or escalators.
You technically only require a birch that sticks out from a harbor and you are ready to start a ferry service!
Thirdly, the ferries themselves are relatively maintenance free. No wheels and far less moving parts than any land-transport vehicle. Practically, the engine and the hull are the only major maintenance parts, something all other modes of transport also have to maintain.
We often awe at trains for lasting over 20 years. However, most ferries last so long that they have to be taken apart to make room for more modern ferries.
Unlimited Frequency
Because ferries don’t rely on specific tracks, they can go wherever there is water. Hence, on a decently sized ferry terminal, you can have multiple ferries both on-boarding and off-boarding passengers at the same time.
Also, as there is no maintenance needed for the routes, ferries can travel 24 hours a day without any need for maintenance hours.
Why Aren’t Ferries Everywhere Then?
Sadly, this magnificent piece of technology has some massive drawbacks. In fact, these drawbacks are often so big that ferries cannot replace their inferior bus and train counterparts:
Routes decided by nature
As you may know, ferries travel on water. This means that you can only build ferry lines where there are rivers and waterways.
Luckily, most major cities are built next to the sea with rivers flowing both around and through them.
However, for any public transport to be useful it needs logical routes to operate on, but urban development often doesn't go right up to the rivers and harbors. Also, the waterways aren't oriented in a logical way that makes a ferry service function optimally.
Basically, you need waterfront population to connect the ferry for people to use it. Sure, artificial rivers that enable ferries to come closer to major city hubs are an option, but at that point the cost of a ferry services often outweigh its counterparts.
Dependent on stable weather
Sure, trains and busses can also stop when there is heavy rain, snowstorms or any other major natural event. But generally we have contingency plans that can be put into action right after, or even before these weather events to keep routes operational.
Sadly, we have not yet figure out how to calm down rivers and oceans when they are “acting up”. Flooding, strong wave-formations, or even strong currents can slow down ferries substantially or make them completely inoperable for days!
Also, as a side note, even when ferries are operational on windy day, their rocking can make people seriously sick…
With modern ferries equipped with stabilizer fins and more powerful engines, the weather is far less of an issue than it used to be, but its still a major drawback compared to other modes of transport.
Conclusion
Yes, ferries really are the most cost effective, highest capacity, and highest frequency mode of public transport there is!
And Yes, ferries does have some drawbacks so major that it hampers them from becoming the main mode of public transport.
However, there are still many successful ferry routes operating today.
Perhaps the world’s most famous ferry route is the Staten Island ferry. It is a singe route ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and carries over 25 million passengers a year with only five boats!
Another great ferry service is the Hong Kong’s Star Ferry service. The ferry service connects to the major harbor hubs around Hong Kong and is so integrated with the rest of its public transport network that you can use the same payment method as on the Hong Kong Metro, the Oyster card.
With a fleet of twelve ferries, the company operates two routes across the harbor, carrying over 70,000 passengers per day, or 26 million passengers per year.
I believe that ferries are a super overlooked option for city planners. There are so many cities that are perfect for ferries, but their mayors and city planners aren’t even aware that it’s an option...
Imagine if you’re the mayor of a harbor city and want to boost your popularity with a good ol’ infrastructure package. If you decide to fund a ferry service, you can literary get a functional route for a fraction of the cost to the alternatives, and get it running in as little as a couple of months. You’d win the “Mayor of the Year” award if your country has one!
In the future, I truly hope more cities consider ferries for their next public infrastructure projects, because they are so underrated and such a good addition to cities’ existing public transport in many parts of the world.
On top of that, ferries are just really nice to look at!
As you may know, ferries travel on water. 😂😂