The results of a survey into potential patronage numbers for a ferry service between Portarlington and Melbourne were released last Friday - 9 July.
The study information is available to the public, interested parties and potential proponents for ferry services.
Around 400 residents across the Bellarine region were interviewed by telephone on a ferry service.
Residents who regularly travel to Melbourne were also invited to meetings held at Ocean Grove and Portarlington to discuss transport options and their likelihood of regularly using a ferry service and what ticket fare they would be willing to pay for a return trip.
The survey results 132 page report entitled: PORTARLINGTON TO MELBOURNE FERRY SERVICE - Passenger demand estimation is available from Parks Victoria.
Key conclusions were:
Best estimates are for approximately 400 return trips by commuters each weekday, taken mainly in the morning and afternoon peak periods, and 500 discretionary trips per day taken by non-commuters, spread throughout the day and on weekends. It needs to be understood that the estimate of commuter demand is subject to a higher margin of error than the estimate of non-commuter demand.
Both estimates assume a $30 return fare, inclusive of connections in Melbourne. This fare amount is open to conjecture and would depend upon the actual costs of the ferry operation and the extent to which it may be subsidized. Latent demand among potential visitors from Melbourne in particular should also be considered as longer term potential for the ferry service, as facilities and transport connections are developed at Portarlington and Port Melbourne; as should projected population growth and changes to this growth brought about by the existence of any future ferry service.
At this stage, it would appear prudent to conduct some basic analysis to determine whether a ferry service of the type envisaged would be viable in the near term, given the passenger numbers estimated in this report.
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