Port Phillip Ferries service hits trouble with trial between Melbourne and the western suburbs

HIGH profile businessman Paul Little has so far spent about $1 million on his struggling ferry trial between the city and the western suburbs.

Paul Little with the ferry. Picture Rebecca Michael.

HIGH profile businessman Paul Little has so far spent about $1 million on his struggling ferry trial between the city and the western suburbs.

However, his Port Phillip Ferries company is eyeing a service to Portarlington and even routes like Frankston and St Kilda on the eastern side of the bay.

Port Phillip started running daily commuter services between Wyndham Harbour in South Werribee and Docklands in May, but patronage has been abysmal.

Mr Little, the former Toll Holdings boss who is worth an estimated $870 million, is puzzled why his congestion-busting alternative for CBD workers hasn’t worked.

“We’ve never had a commuter ferry service operating for any time in the bay and so it’s a concept that most Melburnians have got to get their head around,” he said.

“I just think that the service for the people that live in that region, it doesn’t suit their needs.”

Mr Little said that issues like timetable schedules and getting approval to increase speeds on the Yarra River could be addressed, “but I’m still not convinced that Wyndham will work for us on a commercial basis”.

“By any measure you’d have to say that it’s struggling. But have we written it off at this point of time? No.”

Last Friday, Port Phillip Ferries ran a one-off trial between Docklands and Portarlington on the Bellarine Peninsula with all seats booked on the 400-seat catamaran.

Mr Little, the former Essendon Football Club chairman who dealt with the fallout from the supplements saga, was optimistic about the route.

“We could and we’d love to run a daily service from Portarlington and then we’d address the speed in the Yarra, which is a costly exercise but nonetheless one that is doable,” he said.

“We’ve had some very encouraging market surveys that would indicate there could be a regular ongoing demand and we would love to reach that sort of stage if we can.”

Also on the radar are potential services to much closer bay suburbs like Frankston, Brighton and St Kilda.

“It would be more of a shorter haul and more equated to a bus route, I suppose, in terms of the ports of call,” he said.

Mr Little said he had spent about $1 million on the Wyndham trials so far but he could lose at least double that if they continued for the next few months.

“But I don’t think that will happen,” he said.

Twitter: @JMasanauskas