Mike, 
 
I am very disappointed that the Fast Ferry operators have not been reappointed and that Sydney Ferries continue to be governemnt run. I would like to know the criterai for the decision and hope it wasn't purely price or kick backs to this obsolete lame State Government. The existing operators have done a sensational job and unless the pricing difference was enormous they should have been confirmed as the operator. They are operating the route superbly and there is no implementation risk as they already operate it. This appears another very poor decision by a government littered by lousy transport ministers since the Scully years. It is doubly disappointing that Sydney Ferries will continue as a government run business when this government has shown it couldn't run a bath tub derby, let alone a ferry, bus and train set.

It is amazing that after all the negative comments in recent court decisions, like Catherine Hill Bay's "land-bribe" Land and Environment Court decision, that the Labor Government should now be looking for a "wharf-bribe", rather than supporting the operator who can do the best deal for commuters. 
 
Anything more than cost recovery in wharf access fees is unjustifiable and is simply a tax on Manly public transport users - while the pollution by M4 users in private vehicles continues to be subsidised by this hopeless Labor Government.

No doubt - money speaks and they think we have it on the North Shore so they are going to grab it. Mike give up your seat to a Labour candidate = do you think that is the answer. Unfortunately we vot Liberal here so it goes without saying anything else

Hi Mike - I was an engineer on both the ferries & Jet-cats (many years ago) It disturbs me that a Labor Government would be so willing to destroy the Manly Ferry Service because of their inability to deal effectively with the MUA (Maritime Union of Australia) Much the same a the Federal Labor Government disposed of ANL (the National Shipping Line) for the same reasons - Manly Ferries need to be seen as a key element in Sydney's public transport systen -each ferry takes nearly 20 buses off the Spit Bridge - 3 ferries per hour is 60 buses - the STA needs some real common sense - Please give it your best shot - Regards Keith Ralfs

The government needs control over the ferries however we need to ensure standards are not dropped like the health system and police force just because of Government budgets.

Perhaps NSW could look to New York and the Statton Island Ferry service. We looked everwhere for the ticket booth and ended up asking a cleaner where to buy tickets. His response to my wife was "But Madam this ferry is FREE" ! 
NO NOT POSSIBLE IN NEW SOUTH WALES .

I was horrified to learn that the operators of the Manly fast ferry Service were advised at 4pm on Wednesday 23rd December, 2009 that their contract would not be extended after 31/3/2010. This company has done a brilliant job of transporting Manly commuters to the city on clean reliable modern ferries, the staff are always polite, helpful and friendly and the cost has been reasonable. As a daily traveller I have been thrilled to be able to travel across our wonderful harbour in air conditioned comfort.  
I really cannot see how any other organisation could do a better job. 
That the decision was made based on how much money the operators are willing to pay for wharf access is a blatant grab for money from the government to prop up the ailing Sydney Ferries Service- this can only result in higher fares for the travelling public even if the preferred operators turn out to be as reliable as the current operator. 
One has to question the transparency of the whole process given the bidding process. Could there be a Godwin Grech in the shadows passing information to associates as to how much they need to bid to win? 
The fact that the decision was announced so close to Christmas to avoid wide scrutiny is also questionable.

Unbelievable, just as Manly commuters gain a service as reliable as the Manly Fast Ferry it is again taken away. The Government run JetCats were a farce...broken down, late, cancelled or just plain non-existent. 
 
Manly Fast Ferries have run an extremely professional service which is rarely late. Commuters are kept up to date on mechanical problems via text messages. Most imprtantly the Crew are always welcoming their customers with a smile on their face. It is a real pleasure using this service and it is worth every cent. 
 
It is highly unlikely that a new company could step up to the challenge as well as Manly Fast Ferries have. They've been spot on from day 1.

To: The Minister David Campbell, 
 
I live on Sydney's Northern Beaches. I am appalled with what I read in the Manly Daily today. The Government should be embarrassed and ashamed for what they are doing to the successful current private operator of the ferries. The excuse to terminate the operation of not enough wharf fees is to any laymen clearly a farce just to get rid of the operator who has provided a cheaper on time far better service than any time in the past. The Government should be awarding this operator a medal for cleaning up a ferry service that has been a disgrace for well over 20 years. Instead the Government gets rid of a better service to now go back to the bad old days of late runs, union disputes and strikes. Why can't the Government just leave it alone and let this poor operator get a fair go who has cleaned up the Governments mess of over 20 years in just 11 months, a fantastic result I would say. Shame Shame Shame on the NSW Government on this issue it is appalling to get rid of the only state commuter service that is efficient and providing the commuter a fair go. I've had enough of this Government and it's clearly time to get the Liberals back in next term to clean up the 14 years of mess Labour has created. 
 
Thankyou

The Manly Fast Ferry service is professional, with polite and helpful staff and consistently on-time services. It is working as an efficient ferry service to people living on the northern beaches, so why change operators? A new operator paying additional wharf fees (which will be passed onto commuters) is not a sufficient reason...

Geez that commission into Sydney Ferries was a worthwhile exercise 
 
This is yet another outrage in a long list of state Labor disgraces on many levels. I feel for the current operators who have actually focused on servicing customers.  
 
Even with the incompetent, shady rabble we're currently stuck with it is essential that this time your political party their best team forward at the next election.  
 
I've got a lot of respect for Mike but situations like this was a fear many had after the state election when despite Labor's incompetence the state coalition did not present an electable alternative government. The political reality for Manly was that in opposition Labor's indifference to non-Labor electorates was tempered somewhat with an Independent. It is a moot point now but would Labor have made the same decision? 
 
Arise Mike. It is not just your constituency in Manly but also your state that needs you.

Letter to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it v.au 
cc This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  
date Sun, Dec 27, 2009  
 
David, 
 
Once again the people of the Northern beaches get the short end of the stick from a self destructive and incompetent labour government. Rather than actually working on things that are broken like out of control drugs use, binge drinking and violence caused by them as well as the hospitals needed to help them, you get stuck into breaking the things that work- like the Manly Fast ferry service. 
 
Bass and Flinders ran the Manly Fast Ferry service better and more environmentally friendly on the first day(and every day after) than Sydney Ferries did after years and years of operation of the jet cats. They accomplished this after your claim that the state govt lost millions running the jet cats which caused you to cancel them without a back up plan leaving commuters driving cars into the city for months.  
 
David, unfortunately this is not simply another example of poor government but also immoral government. Class warfare was used to cancel the jet cats's in the first place claiming those millions lost by the jet cat were just spent on the rich. Given the great success of the entrepreneurial effort by Bass and Flinders we can all see now that big Government and Union incompetence were the problem all along. The service now goes to union thugs that destroyed the Sydney ferries in the first place and acted as hooligans and abused those of us that used the Fast Ferry service when it was reintroduced.  
 
David, you are now taking this entrepreneurial success(on the eve of Christmas to get as little coverage as possible) and using it as an opportunity to raise revenues.(remember where you came from "loosing millions" before an entrepreneur risked capital and fixed your problem) This decision now masked by the excuse of a higher fee is giving a service to an unproven union provider whom all intelligent people know will just raise fares and lower levels of service again. This is exactly what NSW Government delivers to the people on so many fronts so it fits the Labour government plan perfectly doesn't it?  
 
Regards, 
 
Sean 
 
Manly

Mike the majority of ferry users or would be such passengers probably share your views and are agin the Govt on this one. But they're also agin the govt on most things. Your plea to have us all email the Transport Minister will acocmplish nothng on the history of this govt. we didn't succeed wth the QStation, Seaforth fencing, the Hosital or anything. Unfortunately i suspect only substantial direct action backed by all Sydney media has any chance of shifting their thinking and then only maybe. It would probably take significant demos outside Parliament House, at Circular Quay and Manly Wharf to begin the process but Northern Beaches and Manly residents in particular are notriously reluctant to get up to these sorts of direct actions - unlike the Pittwater crowd. But perhaps the ferry subject is only the tip of the iceberg that the NSW Libs seem unable to dent the govt on. When areyou all going to wake up and realise that you have make publicly telling blows constantly on this governent and continually link them in to your alternative policies -WHATEVER THEY MIGHT BE - because like me I'm sure very few of the electorate has any idea of what they are. In some ways it's good that they ousted Rees because I think he may actuall have won back some ground for Labor. Winning the next NSW election is no shoe in and I'm horribly afraid that the Libs low profile approach until the last minute may not pay off off - carlo Bongarzoni

Dear David 
 
You don’t need another person going off at you in a long email, I’m sure you have enough of those already. What I think you need are the basic points of the current Fast Ferry situation. 
 
• It currently works very, very well. 
• It’s cheap 
• It’s comfortable 
• They run a 100% on time service. (I don’t expect you to understand what this means but believe me, it’s good) 
• The ticket system is fantastic . (It still amazes me paper tickets are still used on public transport) 
 
All these points are geared towards happy customers. So by choosing a completely inexperienced company, with fewer boats, just because they are able to borrow more money to throw at you until us customers pay it back in hiked ticket prices, you’re choosing your coffers over us customers. 
 
Since I moved to Australia I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many friends and communities and business will go out of their way to re-pay a favour. It’s the Australian way. For you not to show this empathy to a company that clearly got you out of a hole when the poorly managed mess of a Jet Cat service went under, is quite unbelievable. 
 
But if course, this doesn’t make you money! 
 
I only hope the voice of the public will force the contract to be re-tendered. I guess it’s too much to ask for more capable people to make an informed decision as to who to go for. 
 
Yours 
Charles 
Manly Resident