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Passenger numbers on the Gulf Harbour ferry picked up significantly in the days after Auckland Transport reinstated a full schedule of sailings on September 9.
The ferry is back to sailing 24 return trips daily, including morning trips from Gulf Harbour at 6.30, 7.00, 7.30 and 8.30am.
The move followed a long period of reduced timetables and frequent cancellations, usually attributed to crew shortages. AT last year proposed ending the service altogether, raising the ire of commuters already unimpressed with the level of service and slow replacement buses to the CBD.
AT provided weekday passenger numbers for the ferry for the period immediately before and the days after the reinstatement of the full service. Fridays are typically quieter but on the Thursday before the change, 273 passengers travelled. One week later, 458 people took the ferry.
“The Gulf Harbour ferry is much-loved by the community and we’re thankful for their patience while we’ve worked with Fullers360 to address ferry crew shortages,” AT’s public transport service operations manager Duncan McGrory said.
“We know that the temporary reduction in services has not been easy for our customers, so we’re thrilled to have the ferry back to its regular timetable sooner than expected. We’re really pleased to welcome so many of our customers back on board.”
McGrory said AT had full confidence in Fullers360’s abilty to operate a reliable service for the community. He noted that bad weather and other factors outside AT’s control could still occasionally cause disruption.
