Five local authorities with territory fronting on the Clyde waterway system have joined forces to develop a waterbus service focused on Glasgow. They are Argyll & Bute, Inverclyde, Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire.

Some trialling was done with a hovercraft service last year and now a major £100,000 study by MVA Consultancy has shown that such a service could succeed as demand to add additional destinations would grow quickly as soon as it began.

The MVA report recommends that the scheme shoud go ahead with expressions of interest being sought now to operate a waterbus system and invitations to tender being issued if enough interest if shown.

Looking at similar operations in Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, New York and Sydney, the report concludes that a waterbus or ferry service between Glasgow and Rothesay in Bute would attract business commuters and leisure traffic.

The study has identified an existing ‘core demand for waterbus services’ and, with good reason, is confident that this would grow as the initial routes came into service and matured. Braehead Shopping Centre, the SECC and the Springfield Quay development in Glasgow would generate more demand.

The report envisages responding to the physical constraints of the river by using three different vessel types in the operation. These are:

• a large catamaran downstream
• two different types of smaller catamaran upstream

Hovercraft capable of both upstream and downstream operation could also be deployed although their utility is restricted by noise concernes and other limitations.

The thinking is to link waterbus operations into an integrated transport network with a range of supporting measure: integrated ticketing, park & ride and bus services to subway and rail stations.

The plan includes possible extensions to Loch Long, including Arrochar  – although the building of a pier there would be essential – and bringing new energies to Clydeside towns like Bowling.

Bowling has been identified as an interchange for a network of routes. It has existing facilities to support this and is also capable of accommodating maintenacne and overnight berthing.

For Argyll would suggest that the authorities concerned look at adding Lochgoilhead to any Loch Long routes. This has a long-standing link with Glaswegians through the use of the lochside lodges at the Drimsynie Estate and a waterway route out of this beautiful but landwise remote village would be exciting and constructive.

In total, the report sees 13 vessels as necessary for an effective sustainable service.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT)  is now to lead a working group with representatives from the five local authorities involved and is starting discussions with Clydeport, the Marine & Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Queen’s Harbourmaster.

There is no doubt that this development of connections in the extensive Clyde Waterway system has the potential to contribute to very significant economic and social regeneration in the waterside towns and villages, bringing both banks of the river into a new association. And it is a promising initiative for Argyll & Bute.

The photograph above shows one of New York’s water taxi catamarans on the Hudson River and is reproduced under the Creative Commons licence.