City of Hobart to expand ferry and bus services in lead up to Christmas

Christmas shoppers will have an alternative to dealing with packed carparks with extra transport services added for the holiday period. Here are the details.

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds with Children's Mayor Lola Mennitz, commuters Naomi Duke and Christian Narkowicz, and Santa on the ferry at Brooke Street Pier. Picture: John Sampson

The City of Hobart will deliver additional ferry and shuttle bus services for commuters during the Christmas shopping period.

From Wednesday until Christmas Eve, there will be six more ferry services across the Derwent each weekday.

The Park and Ride Shuttle Bus will also return, running a continuous loop from the Regatta Grounds car park to stops on Murray Street, Morrison Street and on the waterfront.

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the additional $50,000 funding was a reflection of the council’s “strong tradition of providing additional support for businesses around Christmas time”.

“We know that Christmas is a time that people are keen to be shopping, and we have such an amazing array of different businesses here in the CBD,” she said.

“We’re really keen to encourage people to discover the ferry, come into the city and enjoy the beautiful options.”

Derwent Ferries, a ferry arrives at Bellerive from Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

It comes after she called upon the state government to commit more funding for public transport options, saying they had “sat back and watched cuts and cancellations to Metro Tasmania’s service”.

“This is the most environmentally and economically sustainable approach to ensure City of Hobart’s liveability and is supported by the state government’s own Strategic Transport Planning documents,” she said.

“We have to face the fact that we are a growing city, and we need more transport options.”

Ferry commuter Naomi Duke of Bellerive said she supported the expansion of the ferry network.

“We can’t rely on cars, and the river seems the perfect opportunity for an alternative given the way other cities around the world use theirs,” she said.

“It’s brilliant that we’ve done this and I think it’s made a big difference to a lot of people’s commute form the Eastern Shore.”

Information for the ferry service is available on the Derwent Ferries website, and visit the City of Hobart website for the Park and Ride shuttle service information.