Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services (2012) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Pages 87-149
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 87... ...
Practitioner and Policymaker Guidance P A R T 2
|
From page 88... ...
Section 8 provides an introduction to ferry service operation and management issues, notably logistics (personnel, deploying equipment, and other more technical and day-to-day issues) that will ultimately have to be addressed in the business plan.
|
From page 89... ...
92 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services Assessment of All Transit Alternatives - Incorporation of Goals, Criteria, and Measures Analysis of Ferry Alternative Problem Identification Develop Finance and Capital Plan Select Procurement Model Assess Economic and Financial Impacts Determine Efficiency and Effectiveness Go/No-Go Decision No-Go Decision Go Decision Contractor Develops Operating Plan for Approval Publicly Sponsored Contract Select Contract Operator Develop Contract Management Plan Develop Marketing Plan Initiate Operations Direct Operation Select and Procure Vessels Develop Marketing Plan Initiate Operations Develop Operating Plan and Budget St ra te gi c Pl an P ro ce ss Bu si ne ss P la n Pr oc es s Figure 6-1. Transportation/ferry service development process.
|
From page 90... ...
Ferry operators operating in this type of environment are aware of these factors as they impact competitiveness and marketability. Operators who provide ferry services where there is no other transportation alternative are less prone to fluctuations in ridership, although these operators face their own set of factors that influence financial viability.
|
From page 91... ...
. Public Operators Public operators consider starting new ferry routes for a variety of reasons and to do so often accept financial deficits.
|
From page 92... ...
Operating a vessel that is too small on a popular line can cause passenger frustration, leading to ridership loss as passengers turn to other transportation modes and lose confidence in their ability to make certain scheduled crossings. Ferry routes and terminals have recently begun to be part of larger land use and transportation planning conversations that seek to link together transportation services with developing or redeveloping land uses or specific communities.
|
From page 93... ...
Ferry operators in these situations must still ensure that fare levels and service frequencies are constantly adjusted to market demand as tourists often make up a large part of the yearly revenue intake and swings in fares could dissuade local and visitor ridership. Safety and Regulatory Compliance Regulatory compliance is an important aspect of ferry service.
|
From page 94... ...
The ferry operator should consider the importance of the following to marketing ferry services: • Attractive terminals. A ferry terminal is a gateway to the community and is also a storefront for prospective customers.
|
From page 95... ...
Regions with multiple ferry operators also have different fare-collection methods. Unifying fare media and fare collection into one form that can be used both landside and for ferries greatly increases accessibility for commuters who transfer between modes.
|
From page 96... ...
: • Pre-emergency planning. This planning includes identification of public transportation ferry assets, size, ownership, location, and capacity; cataloging of existing ferry terminals; development of a primary WETA Emergency Operations Center; and discussions and drafting of contracts and Memoranda of Understanding (MOU)
|
From page 97... ...
A private-sector operation must make a profit and must take this into consideration when deciding whether to offer ferry service; the public-sector decision is more subjective and includes consideration of impacts other than economic ones. Determine Efficiency and Effectiveness Criteria In determining efficiency and effectiveness criteria for evaluating potential ferry services, it is important to be aware of (1)
|
From page 98... ...
Figure 7-1 illustrates the sequence in which various criteria should be considered when making a decision about the establishment of new ferry services. A common requirement for all ferry operators, whether public or private, is to consider permitting criteria.
|
From page 99... ...
. Publicly Sponsored/Regulated Services Criteria A few jurisdictions regulate ferry services economically (the U.S.
|
From page 100... ...
Highway-Oriented Essential Services Criteria Essential ferry services typically involve creating links in the highway network that permit vehicles to continue travel in the most direct manner to a community separated from others by a large body of water. Sponsors of highway-oriented ferry services should consider measuring existing and potential services against efficiency and effectiveness criteria such as the following: • Efficiency criteria – The ferry service will be sized correctly to the market; vessels will be large enough to meet the anticipated demand, but the average vehicle deck occupancy will not be less than 50 percent (aggregated)
|
From page 101... ...
– Ferry terminals are selected to minimize the water passage but still ensure the most direct travel route for passengers. – The ferry operator (passenger ferry)
|
From page 102... ...
Using Criteria to Assess the Potential for Ferry Service Table 7-2 presents a ferry service evaluation criteria matrix. The matrix displays criteria for assessing ferry service potential and can be used as a tool in the decisionmaking process.
|
From page 103... ...
Efficiency & Effectiveness Schedule Crew Efficiently Competitively Procure Fuel and Supplies Use Performance Metrics to Measure Efficiency Optimize Routing Optimize Terminal Siting Minimize Boarding and Terminal Dwell Time Create Seamless Intermodal Transfers Use Reservation System to Manage Demand Use Pre-Paid Fares to Minimize Terminal Delay Use Performance Metrics to Measure Effectiveness Set Competitive Fares that Provide Adequate Revenues Environmental Ferry Emissions No Greater than Competing Modes Use Best Available Engine Technology Use Environmental Best Practices Select Minimum Wake/Wash Vessels Measures Ferry Service Evaluation Criteria Matrix A ll Sy st em s Ur ba n Se rv ic es Es se nt ia l Se rv ic es O pe ra tio na l C rit er ia Table 7-2. Ferry service evaluation criteria matrix.
|
From page 104... ...
Criteria Public Systems Private Systems Quantitative Qualitative Notes Economic & Financial Land Use Coordination Yes, fast-ferry service assists development Transportation Plan Consistency No, ferry not in current regional plans Overriding Considerations - N/A -- No inconsistency Delivers Desired Capacity Yes, ferry service increases capacity. No Diversion from Other Carriers Determined to service different market than existing service Provides Emergency Capacity Yes, available if bridge is not usable No Diversion from Other Facilities with Capacity Bridge already at capacity so diversion is a moot concern Life-cycle Costs Comparable to Other Modes Unknown, further study required Ridership Estimate Certainty Preliminary estimates appear to justify project, further study needed Makes Reasonable Profit × N/A Risk/Reward in Balance × N/A Generates Reasonable Rate of Return × N/A Equity Provide an Essential Lifeline Bridge already available Efficiency & Effectiveness Reduce the Need for Additional Fixed Facilities Yes, preliminary results indicate some needed diversion Use = 50% of Freeway Lane Yes, preliminary results indicate about 1,200 passengers/pk hour Targeted to Areas with Poor Transit Options Yes, existing transit from town center is slow and unreliable Time Savings Compared to Other Transit Options Yes, appears to save about 5 - 10 minutes Enables Transit Supportive Land Uses Yes, Acme Point will develop as TOD Terminals: Simple and Effective Unknown design at this point Environmental Per Passenger Emissions Less than Other Options Yes, results in less automobile trips overall Per Passenger Carbon Emissions Less than Other Options Ferry slightly worse in carbon emissions than automobile trips Satisfactory Marginal Unsatisfactory Not Applicable -R a t i n g s Ferry Service Evaluation Criteria Matrix - Acme Point to Metro City Measures A l l S y s t e m s U r b a n S e r v i c e s N O T A P P L I C A B L E P U B L I C L Y S P O N S O R E D S Y S T E M
|
From page 105... ...
Seattle Enables Transit Supportive Land Uses The ferry service supports higher density development adjacent to terminal. New York Simple and Effective Terminals Terminals are simple and well designed.
|
From page 106... ...
Strategic Planning in Ferry Service Development 109 Table 7-3. Ferry fuel consumption (typical)
|
From page 107... ...
Ferry terminals are similar to rail terminals, and, with high-frequency and reliable service, they can provide both an important amenity to an adjacent area and also necessary transportation capacity to provide access to a development site. Ferries versus New Fixed Crossing NCHRP Report 399: Multimodal Corridor and Capacity Analysis Manual provides additional guidance on evaluating transit modes versus additional highway capacity.
|
From page 108... ...
. The discussion continues to evolve, but considerations of ferry service relative to greenhouse gas emissions involve two interrelated conditions: (1)
|
From page 109... ...
Fast ferries require additional employee training and supervision. Some fast-ferry operators use aircraft protocol (bridge crew only speak as required, bridge is restricted, and so forth)
|
From page 110... ...
Catamarans are used as small, fast boats in San Francisco and New York (for example, New York Waterways) and a catamaran will be used as a new vessel in Puget Sound in metropolitan Seattle.
|
From page 111... ...
are proven, off-the-shelf, equipment. 114 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services Figure 8-1.
|
From page 112... ...
For highway-oriented ferry services, reservations are now a standard practice. This allows the ferry operator to spread out demand throughout the day and make better use of facilities and vessels.
|
From page 113... ...
Since there are no standard designs for ferry terminals (as there are standard highway designs) , great care must be taken to configure terminals to work for the ferry system and the ferry vessels.
|
From page 114... ...
For ferry routes without reservation systems, early arrival to the ferry terminal is important for ensuring a space on the next ferry. To ensure on-time departures, the process of staging vehicles for loading can be as important as the actual loading and unloading of the vehicles.
|
From page 115... ...
The stable approach to a passenger boarding facility is typically high enough above average water level to prevent submergence in all but the most extreme conditions. The height of the stable approach can range from several feet to over 20 feet (1 meter to over 6 meters)
|
From page 116... ...
For example, extremely cold temperatures can contribute to icing conditions that can prove dangerous to pedestrians and vehicles. In ferry terminals, as in other transportation facilities, the provision of waiting areas, restrooms, vending machines, concessions, and other passenger amenities is related to the frequency
|
From page 117... ...
Research indicates that in high-volume transportation systems that experience crowding, a barrier system is usually more efficient because the cost per "inspected" passenger 120 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services
|
From page 118... ...
Operators that are integrated with a transit agency or part of a regional coordination effort may offer universal fare cards such as Seattle's ORCA card or the San Francisco Bay Area Clipper card (Multisystems, Inc., et al., 2002)
|
From page 119... ...
In downtown Vancouver, the SeaBus service connects with the SkyTrain rapid transit system and also the regional commuter rail service. In North Vancouver, the ferry terminal provides transfers to 10 bus routes located on 10 bus berths adjacent to ferry terminal.
|
From page 120... ...
It is important for ferry operators to choose the right size ferry to make the most efficient use of fuel since fuel represents such a large part of ferry operating costs. When comparing potential transportation investments, the embedded energy cost of, for example, a new bridge or a rail system, should be considered against the ferry's operational fuel consumption.
|
From page 121... ...
Ferry terminals, given their necessary location at piers or docks at the edge of urban centers, often rely on land-based transit to convey passengers to their final destination. Conversely, in congested urban transportation systems, such as those in New York City and San Francisco, ferries can help deliver more workers into the center city than would be possible over the existing congested network.
|
From page 122... ...
New York Waterway, at the Hoboken commuter rail terminal, provides the "last mile" link to several locations in Manhattan. The ferry schedule is designed to provide minimal waits for arriving and departing rail passengers; ferry schedules are even listed on the rail schedules as identified connections.
|
From page 123... ...
Security Requirements In the United States, the Coast Guard and TSA both regulate security on ferries. 126 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services
|
From page 124... ...
Insurance Many states, even though they do not regulate ferry services economically, do require that operators carry a minimum level of insurance. This insurance coverage includes public liability, garageman, and other risk management and liability tools.
|
From page 125... ...
Passenger Information Because delays are inevitable, it is important to passengers to have real-time information (it is also helpful for transit systems, especially when the information shows that schedule adher128 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services
|
From page 126... ...
Issues in Ferry Service Management and Operation 129 ence is the norm, and encourages patronage)
|
From page 127... ...
Within a metropolitan area, this strategic analysis may be performed at the regional or state level. On the other hand, a private operator may engage in a strategic plan for its entire line of businesses (for example, a ferry operator that also develops or manages property or a general maritime company that also operates ferries)
|
From page 128... ...
Our goals include operating ferry services at frequencies that compete with other modes and travel times that are better than our competition. Acme Ferries have high on-time performance and moderate operating cost, which allows us to charge a premium fare for a value-added service.
|
From page 129... ...
The maintenance plan should include the actions necessary and the people and resources required to keep the fleet and facilities in a "state-of-good-repair," including the location and 132 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services
|
From page 130... ...
. An example of a simple marketing and sales statement is the following: Acme Ferries has high demand during the traditional 7:00 to 9:00 a.m.
|
From page 131... ...
134 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services
|
From page 132... ...
Accessed July 1, 2010. British Columbia Ferry Services Inc./BC Ferries Authority.
|
From page 133... ...
"Hawaii Superferry Signs Shipbuilding Agreement." Pacific Business News. October 28, 2008.
|
From page 134... ...
The Department of Transportation, State of Hawaii, and Hawaii Superferry. The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History.
|
From page 135... ...
"Passenger Ferries, Air Quality, and Greenhouse Gases: Can System Expansion Result in Fewer Emissions in the San Francisco Bay Area? " Transportation Research Board 82nd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2003)
|
From page 136... ...
"Intermodal Ferry Terminal Master Plans for Washington State Ferries: Planning for the Future." Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Board, No.
|
From page 137... ...
"Effects of Enhanced Ferry Service on Golden Gate Corridor Transportation: From Dromedary to Camel, How MV Del Norte Inverted the Ferry Ridership Curve." 79th TRB Annual Meeting, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC (2000)
|
From page 138... ...
Washington State Ferries Vehicle Level-of-Service: Situation Assessment. Washington State Department of Transportation (December 2007)
|
From page 139... ...
Regulatory compliance, funding issues, labor relations, and ferry planning all received only slightly lower importance ratings averaging 8.5 to 8.8, indicating that these functions, too, are considered quite important by ferry operators. Somewhat lower-average importance ratings were assigned to disaster response/passenger security (7.4)
|
From page 140... ...
• Across all respondents, individual planning tools received lower-average importance ratings than did planning overall. • Among individual planning tools, use of models to plan routes or terminals received the lowest rating, although several operators said that they informally use past and current passenger and traffic data to plan future operations.
|
From page 141... ...
144 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services 6.2 5.6 7.8 6.7 7.5 7.8 6.9 6.1 6.2 8.2 7.3 6.2 7.0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Adding new routes Eliminating routes Changing seasonal services More frequent service Less frequent service Expanding or reducing staffing levels Increasing number of vessels Increasing size of vessels Replacing vessels New or expanded terminals New fare structure New cost recovery mechanisms Working toward smoother intermodal interface Figure B-2. Success of planning efforts toward selected goals (0 to 10 scale)
|
From page 142... ...
Managing existing operating funding sources Identifying and investigating new operating funding sources Managing existing capital funding sources Identifying and investigating new capital funding sources How important will these new capital funding sources be in the future 9.1 6.4 8.0 8.8 9.2 Table B-2. Importance of funding issues to operators of publicly owned ferries.
|
From page 143... ...
• Assigning responsibility for fuel management to individual captains. Based on the funding experiences and challenges faced by survey respondents, best practices with regard to managing funding resources appear to include the following: • Use stimulus money.
|
From page 144... ...
The majority of respondents, however, assigned relatively higher importance ratings to marketing. Private owner-operators rated marketing higher than did either publicly operated ferries or private contractors who operate publicly owned ferries.
|
From page 145... ...
148 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services Importance ratings for operations and maintenance issues All Public 9.3 All Private 9.4 Privately Owned 9.4 Contract Operator 9.7 All 9.4 Table B-5. Importance of operational and maintenance issues.
|
From page 146... ...
USGS and safety issues received the highest average importance ratings, followed by homeland security issues, emissions requirements, ADA compliance, and EPA discharge regulations. Note that several classes of regulatory concerns were deemed less important by private owner-operators than by publicly owned and operated ferries, including emission requirements (6.8 versus 7.4)
|
From page 147... ...
Ratings for workforce management are presented in Table B-9. Private operators of publicly owned ferries appear to be somewhat less concerned than other groups about labor relations and workforce management issues overall, but they assigned greater importance to the availability of licensed, experienced staff, issues associated with drug testing, and providing benefits (recall that there are only seven of these contract operators, so that individual responses can more significantly affect the group average)
|
From page 148... ...
. Passenger safety and other operational safety issues received importance ratings of more than 9.0 for all categories of operators, suggesting that respondents see the traditional emphasis on safety as more consistent with their success than the need to comply with securityrelated regulations imposed by DHS and the USGS.
|
From page 149... ...
• Seek out stimulus funding, grants, or other sources to help pay for engine retrofits or replacements. 152 Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services Emission and greenhouse gas issues Emission monitoring programs New programs/ initiatives to reduce emissions Use of alternative fuels Retrofitting vessel to reduce emissions Use of tools, models to understand total fuel cycle energy, emissions impacts New engine technologies to reduce emissions Planning new routes to conform to air quality planning goals All Public 6.3 3.3 5.4 3.3 4.7 2.2 5.5 1.5 All Private 6.4 2.9 4.7 2.8 4.4 3.4 5.2 2.3 Privately Owned 6.4 3.0 5.2 2.8 5.2 3.9 5.9 2.2 Contract Operator 6.6 2.7 3.4 3.2 2.0 2.0 3.2 2.5 All 6.4 3.0 4.9 3.0 4.5 3.1 5.3 2.1 Table B-11.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.