Ferry infrastructure bids told to go through council

COMPANIES wanting to conduct the trial to operate a passenger ferry service on the Derwent River will need to work with local government to put infrastructure in place to get people on and off.

There is currently no terminal infrastructure on the Eastern Shore and Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson on Monday told a budget estimates hearing those tendering for the contract to conduct a one- year ferry trial would need to work with the Clarence Council.

“We have asked council to work with bidders about connecting ferry infrastructure. It could be a floating pontoon but the council will need to talk to bidders about what they need,” Department of State Growth officials said.

Mr Ferguson also revealed a new Kingborough to Hobart bus service will be soon be trialled using 10 leased vehicles to get more people from that municipality into the city via public transport. Metro Tasmania will lease eight buses as it explores the demand for the new service while Tassie Link will lease two. If the service is deemed viable, the companies will be able to buy the vehicles for a discounted price.

It was also confirmed Tasmania’s diesel public bus fleet will be replaced with electric vehicles depending on results of upcoming trials.

Metro Tasmania will complete a business case before trials start in two years time. Mr Ferguson also told budget estimates that strengthening works being carried out on Hobart’s Tasman Bridge would push its life expectancy of 50 years.

No planning to replace the bridge is yet under way but Mr Ferguson quipped it would be an infrastructure headache for a future government, not his.