Manly Fast Ferry Service to get Opal Card upgrade in a 15-year deal
The popular Manly Fast Ferry Service is in for a major upgrade with the service to become cheaper, more frequent and more environmentally conscious.
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The Manly Fast Ferry service is set to become more frequent, cheaper and more environmentally conscious in a 15-year plan which will completely overhaul the popular northern beaches commute.
NSW Environment and Heritage Minister and Manly MP James Griffin announced the extended 15-year contract with NRMA at a press conference at Manly Wharf on Friday which will see the adoption of the Opal Card fare system, capping the cost of the pricier ferry service to $50 a week for adults.
Plans also include an increase of ferry services from Manly to Circular Quay during peak times, with plans to provide commuters a Fast Ferry service every 10 minutes, compared to the current 20 minute interval.
Mr Griffin said the extension of the NRMA contract was a fantastic outcome for commuters and for the people of Manly.
“I might be biased, but I think the best commute in the world just got a whole lot better,” said Mr Griffin.
“The fast ferry has been a key pillar of transport for people getting to and from Manly for a long-time – not only does it support commuters going to the city Monday to Friday, but it equally plays a huge role in our tourism economy.
“What we’re seeing is people wanting more reliability and more frequency to be able to get to and from Manly, and this announcement today delivers exactly that.”
Mr Griffin also noted there would be a move towards a hybrid hydrogen vessel which will aim to reduce emissions by 85 per cent and help lead the way to the government’s net zero emissions goal.
The Liberal MP was joined by Transport for NSW acting deputy secretary Howard Collins, NSW Minister Transport David Elliott, NRMA Expeditions COO Nell Payne and NRMA Expeditions CEO Rachel Wiseman at Manly Wharf for the news of the company’s 15-year deal.
Transport for NSW acting deputy secretary Howard Collins said the announcement is “fantastic news for public transport”.
“We have now got a 15-year contract with NRMA which will allow investment from that organisation to flow through to make this the most sustainable trip, certainly, within the ferry fleet,” he said.
“In mid-2023 we will be installing Opal gates for this service. We will be providing those Opal benefits that everyone gets across Sydney and beyond … which really simplifies people’s lives and certainly customers have been asking for this for many, many years.”
When asked if the new deal was a recognition of the shortcomings of the new F1 Emerald ferries class, Mr Collins said “rode one this morning and it was going well”.
“Certainly we believe that we have dealt with a lot of those teething issues, as the Manly Freshwater ferries had – if you remember seeing pictures of them on the rocks or steering around in circles.”
“I think what we’ve seen now is the improvement in that performance.”
The announcement comes after questions were raised over the new fleet of “problem plagued Emerald ferries” with commuters nearly having their fingers taken off by slamming doors while travelling, a 50kg life raft flying away mid-commute and some of the vessels being removed from service entirely due to repeated steering failures.
Over the holiday season, an influx in commuters and tourists has also resulted in long queues for the Manly ferry services with lines to catch the vessel sometimes extending all the way to the street.
NRMA Expeditions CEO Rachel Wiseman said the company was working with the government to ensure the future of the Manly ferry service was a clean one.
“The NRMA is very grateful to be able to continue its work delivering a safe and reliable ferry service between Circular Quay and Manly,” she said.
“We’ve been doing it for years and we are very excited to be able to work with government to continue to do it.”
The upgrades to the Manly Fast Ferry service are expected to start in 2023 in addition to the current 30-minute Freshwater-class ferries and 22-minute Emerald-class ferries.
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