N.S. to seek private Yarmouth ferry operator
Posted Sep 7, 2012 09:47:04 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Nova Scotia government will seek a private sector ferry operator.
The service ended in 2009 when the province ended a $6 million annual subsidy.
An independent study released Friday said while it is possible to resume service, it would require more than 135,000 passengers a year. That’s twice the number of riders the ferry had when it stopped running.
The report said it would be possible to get the service up and running as early as Spring 2014, but it would need government investment of $30 to 35 million.
A new ferry wouldn’t be expected to break even for seven years and after that it would only have modest profits, according to the report, which says that would be “considerably uncertain.”
The report recommends changing the ferry’s business plan to make it a more exciting on-board experience for passengers.
What it proposes is more of a cruise ship experience that could possibly offer a casino or spa services on-board.
The panel’s report says the ferry carried 75,000 passengers in its last year of service, down from 165,000 in 2002.
