Thames Clippers
 | |
 Thames Clippers logo | |
| Locale | London, UK |
|---|---|
| Waterway | River Thames |
| Transit type | River bus and tourist/leisure services |
| Owner | Anschutz Entertainment Group |
| Operator | MBNA Thames Clippers |
| Began operation | 1999 |
| No. of lines | 4 |
| No. of vessels | 17 |
| No. of terminals | 22 |
| Website |
www |
Thames Clippers (styled as MBNA Thames Clippers) is a river bus service on the River Thames in London.
The company operates both commuter services between eastern and Central London and tourist services under licence from London River Services. At present they transport around 8,500 passengers daily.
Company
Sean Collins co-founded Thames Clippers in 1999 with partner Alan Woods. During his career Sean recognised the opportunity to build a consistent high-speed commuter and passenger river service. Thames Clippers was then taken over in September 2006 by the American Anschutz Entertainment Group,[1] who promised substantial investment into the company to upgrade the services and to provide a more frequent "hop-on-hop-off" between Central London and The O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome), also owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group. In 2007 the company purchased six new catamarans to be used on the MBNA Thames Clippers commuter service in order to carry a large number of passengers in a comfortable environment. In 2015 and 2017 a total of four new 'Hunt Class' catamarans were purchased for use primarily on the RB6 Service.
Tickets
MBNA Thames Clippers operate under licence from Transport for London. The river boat service is now better integrated into the tube and bus ticketing network. From November 2009, the MBNA Thames Clippers services started to accept Oyster pay as you go on all of its services, which also provides a discount on single and return fares. Contactless payment is also accepted.[2]
A River Roamer ticket, valid for one day, is available from MBNA Thames Clipper which allows the holder to hop on and hop off along the banks of the Thames between Battersea Power Station Pier and Woolwich Arsenal Pier (including the Canary Wharf - Rotherhithe Ferry). The cost is £19.00 for an adult and £38.00 for a family. An adult single trip fare changes depending on zones. They range from £4.40 to £9.90 (or £3.90 to £7.50 if payment is made online, in app or with an oyster or contactless card).[3] There is a one third discount for holders of valid travelcards (excluding Family River Roamer tickets and fares for The O2 Express).
Special river service season tickets, valid for either 1 week, 1 month, 6 months or 1 year, are also available. Discounts for travelcard holders are also available on season tickets.
Commuter services
Main commuter service (RB1)
This runs between Westminster Millennium Pier (on the north side of the river by Westminster Underground station) and the Woolwich Arsenal Pier (on the south side of the river in Woolwich). The service runs every 20 minutes during the day, and every 30 minutes in the very early morning and evenings.
Stops include from west to east:
- Embankment Pier, near Embankment Underground station
- London Eye Pier, near Waterloo station
- Blackfriars Millennium Pier (weekdays only) for St Paul's Cathedral and Blackfriars station
- Bankside Pier (off-peak only) for the Globe Theatre and Tate Modern art gallery
- London Bridge City Pier, for London Bridge station
- Tower Millennium Pier, for St Katharine Docks and the Tower of London
- Canary Wharf Pier, for the Canary Wharf financial district
- Greenland Dock Pier, for Greenland Dock
- Masthouse Terrace Pier
- Greenwich Pier, for Greenwich, the Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum
- North Greenwich Pier for North Greenwich Underground station
- Woolwich Arsenal Pier (Mornings and Evenings only. Daytime shuttle to NGP at weekends)
Hilton / Canary Wharf ferry (RB4)
MBNA Thames Clippers operates the direct cross river Canary Wharf - Rotherhithe Ferry, between Canary Wharf Pier and the Nelson Dock Pier at the Hilton Hotel in Rotherhithe. The service uses smaller boats than the commuter service but runs at a higher frequency of every 20 minutes and every 10 minutes during peak times. The ferry can be used by guests of the hotel free of charge as well as by passengers not staying at the hotel at a cost.[4]
North Greenwich to Woolwich (RB5)
Putney to Blackfriars (and Canary Wharf) (RB6)
This runs peak times Monday to Friday only. Stops are:
- Putney Pier
- Wandsworth Riverside
- Plantation Wharf
- Chelsea Harbour
- Cadogan
- St George Wharf Pier
- Embankment
- Blackfriars
- London Bridge
- Canary Wharf
Trial service to Gravesend
In September 2017, Thames Clippers ran a trial commuter service between Gravesend and Central London.[5]
Visitor/tourist services
Tate to Tate and Service West (RB2)
The Tate to Tate and Service West operates between Battersea Pier and London Bridge Pier, serving visitors travelling between the Tate Modern museum on the South Bank and the older Tate Britain in Millbank across the river.
The O2 Express (RB1X)
The O2 Express is an express service calling at London Eye, Westminster Pier, Embankment Pier, London Bridge City Pier, Tower Pier, Greenwich Pier and North Greenwich Pier for The O2. The service also provides private charters.
Fleet
MBNA Thames Clippers operates 16 high-speed catamarans with a maximum speed of 28 knots, plus a more conventional catamaran for the Hilton ferry.[6][7][8]
| Name | Length | Passengers | Type | Builder | Built | Acquired | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jupiter Clipper | 35m | 172 | Hunt Class Mark 2 | Wight Shipyard | 2017 | 2017 |  |
| Mercury Clipper | 35m | 172 | Hunt Class Mark 2 | Wight Shipyard | 2017 | 2017 |  |
| Galaxy Clipper | 35m | 150 | Hunt Class | Incat | 2015 | 2015 |  |
| Neptune Clipper | 35m | 150 | Hunt Class | Incat | 2015 | 2015 |  |
| Aurora Clipper | 38m | 220 | River Runner 200 Mark 2B | BSC Marine | 2008 | 2008 |  |
| Meteor Clipper | 38m | 220 | River Runner 200 Mark 2B | BSC Marine | 2008 | 2008 |  |
| Cyclone Clipper | 38m | 220 | River Runner 200 Mark 2B | BSC Marine | 2007 | 2007 |  |
| Monsoon Clipper | 38m | 220 | River Runner 200 Mark 2B | BSC Marine | 2007 | 2007 |  |
| Tornado Clipper | 38m | 220 | River Runner 200 Mark 2B | BSC Marine | 2007 | 2007 |  |
| Typhoon Clipper | 38m | 220 | River Runner 200 Mark 2B | BSC Marine | 2007 | 2007 |  |
| Hurricane Clipper | 38m | 220 | River Runner 200 Mark 2 | NQEA | 2001 | 2001 |  |
| Moon Clipper | 32m | 138 | River Runner 150 Mark 3 | NQEA | 2001 | 2005 |  |
| Sun Clipper | 32m | 138 | River Runner 150 Mark 3 | NQEA | 2001 | 2005 |  |
| Sky Clipper | 25m | 62 | Hydrocat | FBM | 1992 | 1999 | |
| Star Clipper | 25m | 62 | Hydrocat | FBM | 1992 | 1999 |  |
| Storm Clipper | 25m | 62 | Hydrocat | FBM | 1992 | 1999 | |
| Twin Star | 19m | 125 | Former Ford Dagenham ferry | ? | 1976 | ? |  |
Accidents
In February 2004, a woman was killed after she was hit, while waiting for a boat, by a mooring bollard which had come loose from the Star Clipper at St. Katherine's Pier.[9]
On 4 October 2011 at 7 pm, the Moon Clipper hit the Tower Millennium Pier when it was carrying about 50 people.[10] No fatalities.
On 5 December 2016 the Typhoon Clipper collided with the workboat Alison, resulting in the sinking of the workboat.[11] No fatalities.
The future
A Policy Exchange report advocates significant expansion in river services on the Thames. The aim of the report is to lead to a "river tube line" being created which would lead to easing of current congestion on London's transport systems, and better quality of travel, at a significantly cheaper price than other options. Opponents note that the river capacity, especially at low tide could mean a reduction of tourist boats (especially at peak commuter times), and turn the Thames into urban highway which would be detrimental to London. To be feasible, the report calls for better management of river traffic, improved interchange with other public transport modes and expansion of key piers.[12]
The Mayor of London is responsible for the River Concordat group group, which is made-up of over forty different organisations including Thames Clippers. The publication, By the River , sets out the strategic vision for improving river transport on the Thames.
References
- ↑ Christopher Hope, Industry Editor (2006-09-21). "Dome chief joins Thames taxi race". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
- ↑ http://www.wharf.co.uk/2009/04/thames-clippers-to-accept-oyst.html
- ↑ Thames Clippers. "Thames Clippers fares". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
- ↑ "Directions to DoubleTree Hotel London Docklands - Hotel and Area Map". www3.hilton.com.
- ↑ Kent Online, http://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/news/get-a-boat-to-work-130178/
- ↑ Clippers, Thames. "Our Fleet - Thames Clippers". www.thamesclippers.com.
- ↑ "Our Fleet" (PDF).
- ↑ "Meet Our Fleet" (PDF). Thames Clippers. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ↑ "Woman 'killed by mooring bollard'". BBC News. 2005-02-18. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
- ↑ "Thames riverboat crashes into Tower Millennium Pier". BBC News. 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
- ↑ "Collision between a passenger vessel and a workboat - News stories - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
- ↑ "Policy Exchange - Shaping the Policy Agenda" (PDF). www.policyexchange.org.uk.
