Thames Clipper wins Hammersmith Bridge ferry contract

Thames Clipper, the River Thames river-bus service has won the contract to run a temporary ferry service while the Hammersmith bridge is closed to traffic.

The service will take pedestrians and cyclists over the Thames, and it’s being proposed that the boats will take passengers between an existing pier located near to Queen Caroline Street in Hammersmith and the Hammersmith Bridge approach in Barnes – likely to be this proposed pier upgrade.

Fares are expected to mirror buses at £1.55, subject to necessary approvals. This would include a Hopper option and the acceptance of the same concessions, including freedom passes and free travel for children. The Hopper option will allow people who arrive at the ferry by bus to change onto the ferry at no further charge, as long as they change within an hour of starting their original journey.

It’s expected that boats will be taking passengers across the river at the end of the summer subject to consents.

The ferry will have a capacity of at least 800 passengers an hour at peak times, with services running daily 6am-10pm. The boats that will take passengers across the river are the 25 metres Fairey Brooke Marine ‘Hydrocat’ catamarans, which currently provide services along the shorter Thames routes.

Service resumption

In other news, the Thames Clipper was also one of the few transport services to totally shut-down during the lockdown, but has now partially resumed its services.

The service is reopening with a 20-minute frequency during the weekday peak and weekends; 40-minutes weekday off-peak specifically between Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) and North Greenwich piers.

The service also starts slightly later in the morning and finish earlier in the evenings at the moment, but will be extended as the lockdown continues its phased relaxation.

Unless you buy a season ticket, it’s far from the cheapest way of getting from one side of London to the other, but it’s probably one of the most scenic.

Full details here.