Mike Baird | Member for Manly - Government Using Manly's Fast Ferry to Fill Up Coffers

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Government Using Manly's Fast Ferry to Fill Up Coffers

Thursday, 19 November 2009

The tender for Manly�s fast ferry service should be awarded to the company offering the best service to commuters, not the most money to the NSW Government, said Manly MP Mike Baird.

�It is symbolic of the State Government that they are using Manly�s fast ferry contract to raise revenue, with total disregard for commuters,� Mr Baird said.

�The tender to run the fast ferry service is about to be awarded and we have a real concern commuters are likely to get a second-rate service.

�By not naming a fixed price for the wharf access fee in the tender, it is clear they are treating the tender process as a grab for cash.

�We wrote to the Transport Minister back in August and we reiterate our plea for the price of the wharf access fee to be fixed.

�The fast ferry contract should not be determined on who is offering the most money to the Government.

�It should be awarded to the company offering the most frequent services, the best customer service, the cheapest fare, and the most reliable and environmentally friendly vessels.

�The State Government is throwing all principles of good public transport out the window at our expense.

�The Manly community was left in the lurch when the Rees Government axed the JetCat a year ago.

�Because of pressure from the community, spearheaded by the Fix Our Ferries Group, the service was put out to tender.

�Now we risk losing a good service because the Government is being greedy and seeing the five-year tender as an opportunity to fill their coffers.�

MEDIA: Lisa Harrington - 0406 726 880

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Comments (15)

Fast Ferry

Typical government BS. The Manly Fast Ferry should be considered a wonderful example of privatisation. They have turned a loss making, unreliable service into a fantastic success.
Since the Jet cat was axed the commuters from Manly to and from the city have a new service that is nothing other than fantastic. The old Jet Cat has been replaced with a boat that has air-condition comfort (no more sauna), extra outside seats, TVs, a bar, wonderful ticketing services and above all you are treated like a customer. The customer service is wonderful. Compare this to the current Manly Ferry and old Jet Cat. Old, Dirty, unreliable, ticketing system is woeful and no customer service.
If the government awards the tender to another company they really have no idea.

Posted by: Scott at 20-11-2009 11:46

fast ferry service

The service works, is far superior to what we had prior,Rees leave it alone.

Posted by: john Larsen at 20-11-2009 11:50

Fast ferry Blackmail

Mike please identify clearly the plan that will be implemented when there is a new Government in place. Surely any money to the State Government is better than the alleged costs/losses when run By NSW Ferries. Typical of this body and the Government no principles, no management ability, No Idea on how to benefit voters and commuters from the Northern Beaches. Please don't forget when you are the State Treasurer!.

Posted by: col. Jarvis at 20-11-2009 11:50

Manly Fast Ferry

B&F run a great service it would be a shame to lose them - I'd meet them at another wharf for a ride. Also, unbelievable to think that people at this level can make such poor self-serving decisions.

Posted by: commuter at 20-11-2009 11:51

Fast Ferry Service

What else would you expect from our State Labour Government. There are no votes to be gained on the Northern Beaches so why bother. We just don't rate with them. Until the rest of Sydney wakes up to the appalling state of affairs in NSW and votes them out, we will continue to be treated in this high handed fashion. Rees is already starting the spin to con Labour voters into another term. Let's hope they finally open their eyes and give Liberal a go. It certainly can't any worse than it is now.

Posted by: Denise Keen at 20-11-2009 12:06

Manly Fast Ferry

Please explain why you would touch a service that has almost 100% timetable success rate, an sms service that works, an absolutely unquestioned service that cant be faulted, customers who love the service and then put out to tender to run the chance of heading back to the dark days of the Jet Cat.

Sure if MFF start over charging and delivering a poor service tender it, but not so soon. They deserve some loyalty for the service they provide.

The MFF has kept the travel cost the same and reduced the fare in off peak trips, its actually cheaper than the ferry at times. They provide a quality service full stop.

Mmmm i smell the waft of the unions heading over to Manly again pulling the puppet strings of our care taker Premier Mr Rees. Cant you picture them standing at the front of the ferry whispering to each other, mumbling disatisfaction at what MFF has achieved.

Posted by: David at 20-11-2009 12:12

Ferry Service

Keep fighting for the people Mike !!

Posted by: Janice Thwaites at 20-11-2009 12:35

Fast Ferry Service.......

Mike as I said in my text to you earlier, can we do anything to prevent this from going ahead?

Posted by: Debra Arena at 20-11-2009 13:05

Fast Ferry

The current Fast Ferry service has been an outstanding success. Staff are courteous, the service is on time, clean and safe. The service has also managed to avoid running into any headlands or wharves or passing boats (something the State run service can't boast).

Posted by: Damian Sturzaker at 20-11-2009 13:11

Access charges to ferry facilities

I totally agree with you, Mike.
Access charges killed the commercial prospects of the Airport Rail Link and will also probably kill the metro disasters.
Certainty and level playing field are essential, but so is reasonableness. At the end of the day, WE pay the incomes of the parliamentarians (you would be forgiven to think they believe in Dieu et mon droit) and their central focus should be service to the community.
Onwards, Mike.

Posted by: robert gibbons at 20-11-2009 13:11

Fast ferry

I guess the existing service is so good that the Government need to interfere in the hope that they can destroy it so that their service doesn't look so bad.

Posted by: David glading at 20-11-2009 14:23

Manly Ferry

Hi Mike

Its great to know we have someone in Parliament who is able to look at the bigger picture. You always talk a lot of sense and as a voter I find it extremely refreshing!

NSW and Austrlaia needs people like you - keep up the good work!

Regards
Nick

Posted by: Nick Keynes at 20-11-2009 15:02

fast ferry future

Mike. Please arrange for the tender details to be made public or leak the info ASAP!

Wayne

Posted by: wayne at 20-11-2009 18:16

Ferries

I was finally able to try out the new fast ferry service when I visited Sydney on the weekend. I was smiled at no less than three times by the staff, something that never happened during my years of use of the state ferry service, jetcat, hydrofoil and ferry.
As reported elsewhere, the ferry was on time and quick on embarkation and debarkation.
Given the small cost differential to the ferry, it is amazing they seem to think they can make a profit, whilst the state ferry service, with its huge carrying capacity, requires such an enormous subsidy per passenger trip. Or is it just the huge number of ferryhands who were leaning on the barriers during docking swallowing up the subsidy?
If a private company must tender for this public transport role, we risk having it needing to build government payments into its cost structure. That will again start the same sort of rot that has prevented Sydney Ferries from economically serving the public transport role we need over the long-term future.

Public transport needs to be structured to encourage maximum usage, for the benefit of the community as a whole. It needs to be affordable, frequent, fast - and fuel-efficient. Anything that needlessly makes it more expensive should be eliminated. No tender should be awarded the contract on the basis of (effectively corrupt) cash payments to the government.

Posted by: Alicia at 23-11-2009 09:52

Manly fast ferry

The current service is fantastic. On time, clean, polite. For once everything works. It is a disgrace that it is up for tender again just because they are making a success of it. The gov just wants backhanders and I hope mike Baird is going to fight for the current service. They don't deserve this.

Posted by: Krista Henderson at 02-12-2009 17:46