London business leaders are clubbing together to keep the capital's cash-strapped River Thames commuter boats afloat, in an effort to lure travellers out of overcrowded trains and underground trains.
Thames Clippers, a family-run business running boats between London's West End, the City (London's financial center) and Canary Wharf, is in danger of having its largest boat repossessed, after struggling to make enough money to pay for it.
The threat of cutting the service has alarmed employers, who are concerned about the strain on public transport when the congestion charge begins. Business lobbyists London First are trying to raise a pounds sterling 400,000 aid package by asking big Docklands employers to spend pounds sterling 50,000 each on season tickets for use by staff. Among those interested are property firm Canary Wharf, investment banks Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers, and law firm Clifford Chance.
Thames Clippers' managing director, Sean Collins, said: "To sustain the level of service we're running at the moment, we need some sort of extra revenue. We are running out of time -- there's no guarantee from Transport for London that there will be anything available in the future."
Collins has been running the service for four years. Fans describe the riverboats as a civilised way to get to work, with commuters able to enjoy a gin and tonic while watching London's skyline slip past. Until recently, the business was making money by running two 62-seat catamarans. But a decision to expand by buying a 220-seat boat has proved financially draining.
Collins said one of the problems was a strict limit on capacity: "You can't compare us to any other forms of transport. On buses, tubes and trains, you can have people standing like sardines.
On boats, if you haven't a seat, you can't get on."
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has said he wants to "develop" the Thames as a mode of transport but has provided little financial support. Transport for London is putting out to tender the right to operate a longer route, which Thames Clippers, the only commuter service, is hoping to win. If London First's campaign is successful, the company will be able to buy a fifth boat, increasing services from one every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes during rush hours.
Public transport in London is likely to come under increasing strain over the next decade. The number of passengers using the tube has risen by 25 percent since 1993 and is expected to increase by a further 17 per cent over the next 10 years.
The ?5-a-day congestion charge for drivers, which begins on Feb. 17, is intended to encourage 10 percent to 15 percent of motorists to switch to public transport.
The buses, which are the only mode of transport with any spare capacity, are intended to take the strain.
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