Hopo: Gold Coast ferry service looks to future as it hits major milestone after nearly five years

The boss of the Gold Coast’s ferry service has revealed trial runs of new routes have been done in anticipation of a future expansion as it marks a major milestone.

The boss of the Gold Coast’s ferry service has revealed trial runs of new routes have been done in anticipation of a future expansion.

Hopo has been running passengers around the Broadwater and lower Nerang River for nearly five years and is locked in to run for several more years.

Anthony Ardern, managing director of The Tour Collective, which operates the service, said he was keen to see an expansion, with some work already done in preparation

“We are always looking at expansion and we have done some trial runs to Runaway Bay and Couran Cove when that was still open, so we have all the timings and durations of the trips, so we are open for more,” he said.

“Going further up the river is a challenge given the existing speed limits but we are open to it too.

“However we need to ensure that the patronage is there so that it is sustainable.”

The service launched in December 2019 after nearly 20 years of lobbying and false starts.

Hopo’s crew celebrate their 300,000th passenger milestone this week and what's ahead for the passenger ferry company. Left to right, crew Michelle Simpson and Chelsea Vendy, Skipper Kate Robertson, Managing Director Anthony Ardern, and crew Emily Pierron, on board the ferry at Hopo docks at the Sea World Cruises Terminal . Picture Glenn Hampson

It is privately operated rather than government controlled.

Its fanfare-filled launch came just months before the Covid pandemic forced the closure of state and national borders and put the hammer to the tourism sector.

But Mr Ardern said his business thrived during the same period, with the lack of travel options leading locals to try out the service.

“We have faced quite a few challenges across the years since we started in December 2019 and rolled straight into Covid while we had two custom-made vessels under construction,” he said.

“It was a tumultuous time but my business partner and I are glass half-full people so nothing stopped us during that time because we knew it would not be forever.

“We kept building, referred the terminal and put on 30 extra staff as trainees.”

Anthony Ardern, Tour Collective Director. Picture, John Gass

The service is now marking a significant milestone – having carried 300,000 passengers since its launch.

It carries around 400 people per day.

Mr Ardern said he was pleased with the strong patronage figures.

“It’s wonderful to know that Hopo has been used by over 300,000 passengers over the past few years. and we believe it’s a milestone worth celebrating as our team is committed to delivering a reliable, sustainable and effective service for the Gold Coast and feel it’s an encouraging indication that the service is making a positive impact,” he said.

“We see an average of up to 400 passengers daily using the service and over the years we’ve seen people use Hopo in a number of ways.

“We have regular customers who use the service as a means of transport to commute to work, we’ve got families using it for a day out with the kids on weekends and during school holidays, there are people who love to use it to hop from one venue to another, and we’ve got groups of inbound and interstate visitors who enjoy using it as a way to see the Gold Coast, which is fantastic.”