A trial to extend the Hobsonville Point ferry service to weekend sailings has exceeded all expectations since it launched in January 2019.
The year-long trial was initiated by frustrated Hobsonville Point residents who sought to extend the ferry service to weekends to provide more public transport options for residents, and encourage visitors from the city to experience the new cafes, restaurants, Farmers Market, and businesses popping up at Catalina Bay.
When the idea was first floated in 2018, Auckland Transport had advised it didn’t have the money to fully fund the extra ferry sailings, but the community wasn’t about to take no for an answer. At the Hobsonville Point Residents’ Society (HPRS) AGM last October, 300 attendees voted with an overwhelming majority to contribute to the shortfall, agreeing to stump up $50,000 for the trial. The plan was also supported by an additional funding contribution from HLC, the development organisation behind Hobsonville Point, as well as money from builder partners and local businesses who could see the benefit of improved public transport options from the city.
HPRS committee member Lindsey Dawson says the organisation’s structure is unusual in Auckland in that every new resident in Hobsonville Point joins and contributes $200 a year towards maintaining and improving the community. Dawson says getting the weekend ferry trial off the ground was an example of the tight-knit Hobsonville Point community pooling its resources to bring about meaningful change.
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“Because it’s designed to be medium density, it’s a much closer-knit community than most other places in Auckland and it was really important that it was set up with ways and means for people to work together.”
The weekend ferry trial launched in January 2019 and has proved very popular over the summer months, averaging about 500 trips a weekend, blowing initial expectations and targets out of the water.
AT has recently increased weekday sailings as well, giving residents and visitors even more options.
The weekend ferry trial is due to end early 2020, and if it is considered a success, Auckland Transport will pick up the operating costs from then on.
- Content supplied by the Urban Development Group
