London river transport

Water transport on the river Thames in London, UK, is currently enjoying a renaissance. More frequent services, a new real-time passenger information system and a guaranteed seat are just some of the features that are winning the favour of commuters. Christian Shelton reports.

The group responsible for developing, co-ordinating and promoting passenger services on the river Thames is London River Services (LRS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL). LRS is actually a pier owner. It does not own or operate any boats itself. Instead, it licenses the services of boat operators and covers the cost of its day-to-day operations primarily by charging the boat operators for access to its piers.

LRS was formed in 1997. Two years later the group benefited from £21 million in funding from the Government, Millennium Commission, Pool of London Partnership, Corporation of London, the City of Westminster and others. The purpose of the investment was announced by Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, as: “Our aim is to put the heart back into London’s river and put the river at the heart of a modern transport system for the capital in the 21st century.”

Increased passenger numbers

The investment resulted in an increase in the use of water transport on the Thames – particularly in the lead up to the millennium, when the Millennium Dome and the London Eye were key tourist attractions that were well served by boat. However, it was not just tourists using the river services in greater numbers, as commuter numbers also increased.

Passenger numbers continue to increase today. According to Andy Griffiths, general manager of LRS: “Over the last three years there has been a total increase in the use of our services by 16.3%. In total over 2.4 million passengers use our piers each year. This may not seem a phenomenal amount when compared to the Underground or to the bus sector. However, it is a small but significant figure.” The majority of these passengers are tourists. Griffiths estimates that approximately 80% of passengers on the river are tourists and 20% are commuters.

Commuter services

Although commuters only comprise 20% of total passenger numbers, we must not discount this important sector. This is because it provides us with some idea of how attractive the river service is when compared to London’s other forms of public transport for daily users. In a city environment, different forms of public transport are in-directly competing with each other to gain passengers and in London it seems that river transport is becoming an increasingly popular option.

The main commuter services on the river are provided by Thames Clippers. According to the company’s managing director, Sean Collins, between 75–80% of its passengers are commuters. The company was formed in 1999 and started with just one boat. Today it owns six vessels, leases another and carries just under 900,000 passengers a year.

The regeneration of the area around the Thames in East London has been key in creating this demand for water transport. Residential and commercial redevelopment has meant that more people now live and work around the former Docklands areas of the Thames – thus creating a demand for the services. Indeed, the owners and developers of Canary Wharf (which is promoted as “the world’s largest office project”) estimated that by the end of 2005 there were more workers in docklands now than there were when the working docks were at their peak.

The busiest pier Thames Clippers serves is indeed Canary Wharf. The company currently runs a service between Canary Wharf and central London 26 times a day. Peak time services now run from Woolwich in the East to central London in the West – connecting to major commuter interchanges at Blackfriars, London Bridge, Charring Cross and Waterloo.

The service to Woolwich Arsenal was only introduced in June last year. According to Griffiths, increasing the frequency and range of the service is also important in gaining passengers: “Last April the frequency of services was increased from every 20 minutes down to every 15 minutes. Prior to that, the service was extended down to Woolwich Arsenal. Each time these changes are implemented, it increases the attractiveness of the service. People from Woolwich could not have caught the boat before because there simply was no boat. So by providing the service, the size of the market is also increasing.”

The London bombings

Another factor that contributed to the increase in commuter numbers on the Thames was the London bombings in July 2005. “Our passenger numbers had been increasing by approximately 15% year-on-year,“ said Collins. “This was until last year, when commuter passenger numbers suddenly increased by 50% because of the London bombings.”

Indeed, the London bombings prompted many Londoners to start looking for alternative ways to travel to work almost immediately. Collins commented: “The July 2005 bombings threw us into turmoil a little bit because our passenger numbers increased significantly overnight. It caused us a few problems to solve with regard as to where we located and distributed the fleet. We had to re-think how to best cope with the increase in demand. After two to three weeks things settled down and we were able to cope with the numbers.”

It is interesting to note that although commuter numbers increased greatly over night, total passenger numbers on the Thames actually fell because of the reduced numbers of tourists in London. However, according to Griffiths: “visitor numbers have now recovered and are almost back to normal.”

Retaining passengers

Yet for all those commuters that started using the river almost a year ago after the bombings, what has kept them using the service, rather than returning to Underground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) or bus?’

Well, the first point is that travel times for the boat are broadly comparable to that of the Underground or bus. Griffiths stated: “We looked at this recently and the timings are basically similar.” So although water transport in London does not actually win here – it does not loose out either.

Second, passengers are guaranteed a seat. Griffith explained: “the law is that the capacity of the boat is limited. On a boat this is important because it relates to the amount of life-saving equipment there is on the vessel. So because of this everyone is guaranteed a place to sit.”

For the Thames Clippers that are used on the commuter services there are three 62 seaters, two 138 seaters and one 220 seater, so there is very little chance that a boat will be too full for passengers to board.

RTPI

Another important element in improving the river services has been the introduction of a real-time passenger information (RTPI) system. It uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) to work out the exact location of the Thames Clipper vessels. Passengers waiting on the piers can then see on a display board the destination of Thames Clippers boats due to arrive within the next 20 minutes, the time they are due to arrive, and the intermediate stops of the first boat. The RTPI system also allows the information to be displayed on TfL’s website.

The system was initially installed at 11 piers in 2005 and is now being installed at Kew, Richmond, Putney, Chelsea Harbour, Cadogan, Festival and Embankment, with an improved sign installed at Bankside.

It was launched by Peter Hendy, who at that time was managing director of TfL Surface Transport. Hendy said: “TfL is committed to providing customers with real-time information across the whole transport network, allowing them to make informed decisions about their journey. This new system takes us one step closer to providing the fully integrated, world class transport system which London deserves.”

LRS is very pleased with the new system. Griffiths commented: “Because many of the piers Thames Clippers serve are un-manned, we are happy with the new RTPI system because it provides passengers with the information that a boat is actually coming.” Due to the popularity of the RTPI system, LRS is now looking to extend the service to the leisure boat operators on the Thames.

Additional benefits for operators

However, the system has not just benefited the passengers. It has a number of additional features that are being used by Thames Clippers. For example, a secure website allows the company to monitor a real-time location map with the exact position of every ferry displayed on it. The map is continually updated every few seconds.

The real-time location map also includes information about passenger numbers on the vessel thanks to the automatic passenger counting function. Collins explained how helpful this is: “It is a legal requirement that passenger numbers are counted and logged ashore at every stop. As we are leaving a pier on average every three minutes, the passenger counting function is helping reduce the workload and save time for our cabin crews.”

“It also automatically puts on a pre-recorded message on the PA system to make passengers aware of safety requirements when arriving or departing piers,” Collins added.

The codeCreation system also includes a real-time route display, which is located on the bridge of the boat. It shows the captain whether he is ahead or behind of schedule. Over time, any anomalies between expected and actual operating times can be highlighted. Collins elaborated on another use for the system: “This is a very useful function as it also records the speed of the boat. If we have been accused of speeding through an area we should not have been, we can check the records and defend our captains if a false accusation has been made.”

Paul Freeman, managing director of codeCreation explained how the whole system works and why it is so flexible: “The RTPI system utilises our Odyssys telematics system, which I believe is the most advanced telematics system available in the market. We wanted to construct a software platform, built on existing Microsoft technologies and independent of specific hardware, that would form the basis of a fully customisable telematics system.”

Freeman believes that because codeCreation started later in the telematic sector than many of the more established players, this actually gave the company an advantage: “Because we came to the game later, we were able to take advantage of technological developments such as good quality industrial PCs and the like.”

codeCreation were also fortunate in that they had the opportunity of working alongside the operator, Thames Clippers, when it was developing the system.

WiFi internet access

codeCreation was also involved, in partnership with Mesh-hopper WiFi Networks, in the creation of a wireless internet network, which can be accessed by commuters using the river Thames. The service is provided under the name Thames Online and the network is billed as: “the UK’s most extensive, seamless WiFi network spanning 12km through the heart of London”.

When this service was first offered, Mike Weston, Managing Director for London River Services said: “Over the past few years, services and information on the river have greatly improved and this facility is another great development. Regular commuters on the river will now be able to access the internet from their laptops whilst on the move.”

One advantage of the WiFi network for LRS is that it has allowed them to install wireless CCTV cameras on four of its piers. Griffith explained: “We use the WiFi network to transfer CCTV images. This has enabled us to do-away with four broadband internet landlines, which has saved us money”.

Security

In fact all of LRS’s piers are covered by CCTV according to Griffiths: “We have extensive CCTV coverage on all of our piers. Every part of the pier is covered and the cameras link to our office and through to London Buses control centre at Centrecomm. There are also emergency help points on each of the TfL owned piers, which also link into Centrecomm.”

LRS also has a close relationship with the river division of the Metropolitan Police – the Marine Support Unit. According to Griffiths: “They make regular patrols of the river, challenge unknown boats and they will occasionally travel on boats in uniform or in plain clothes. They also make visits to piers on a regular basis. They may bring sniffer dogs with them or come in plain clothes. So there are a number of measures to detect and deter, in the same way as there are on other parts of London’s transport infrastructure.”

Disabled access

As well as making piers safer, LRS is involved in making them more accessible to passengers with disabilities. In fact, every LRS owned pier on the Thames is now accessible to disabled people. The most recent development in this area has been the installation of a ‘ramp-rider’ at Greenwich pier.

The Ramp Rider is made by the Redd Team in Florida. LRS said that it is the only passenger lift system it could find that could cope with a varying gradient. This was necessary at Greenwich because of the large drop in the water level because of the tide.

The future

The future is currently looking good for the development of water transport on the Thames. LRS is looking at the possibility of boat operators accepting the prepaid Oyster smartcard, which would certainly appeal to more commuters. And although there are no immediate plans for anymore LRS owned piers, there are a number of new building developments that could potentially invigorate the water transport sector further. Griffith explained: “There are a number of developers with ideas for new piers associated with potential developments on the Thames – such as Battersea Power Station or the East Thames Corridor.”

“The Battersea Power Station project developers, Parkview International, plan to create a huge, mixed use site that is planned to open in around 2010. The development would ideally be served by river boat services,” he added.

According to Griffiths, the developers have already looked at the possibility of buying boats and then sourcing an operator to run the services on their behalf. Griffiths believes that the concept would fit well with the existing Thames river boat services: “It is likely to mesh quite well with the existing Clipper service which ends at Savoy. The proposed service would cover the western side of the Thames and enliven this end of the river.”

LRS is also looking forward to the 2012 Olympics, where the riverside events at Greenwich Park, Excel and the O2 dome would be well served by water transport. Griffith concluded: “There will certainly be boat services serving these sites. We will act in a co-ordinating role and try and implement a fair timetable for that period, to maximise the use of all the boats.”