| Pasig River Ferry Service | |
|---|---|
| Info | |
| Owner | SCC Nautical Transport Services Incorporated |
| Locale | Metro Manila |
| Transit type | Water bus |
| Number of lines | 2 (none in operation) |
| Number of stations | 14 |
| Daily ridership | 2,000 |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | February 14, 2007 |
| Operator(s) | SCC Nautical Transport Services Incorporated |
| Number of vehicles | 10 |
| Technical | |
| Average speed | 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Top speed | 17 knots (31 km/h) |
The Pasig River Ferry Service, was the only water-based transportation that cruised the Pasig River from Barangay Pinagbuhatan in Pasig City to Intramuros, Manila. The system is owned and operated by a private company, SCC Nautical Transport Services Incorporated. Although commonly referred to as a ferry, it was more akin to a water bus.
As of February 2011, the service is suspended indefinitely.
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Pollution in the Pasig River contributed to the decline in ferry transport in the river in the 1960s. The present Pasig River Ferry Service superseded the two short-lived ferry projects in the entire Pasig River in the 1990s.
The Magsaysay Lines started operation during the year 1990 and had stations from Guadalupe in then-town of Makati down to Escolta in Manila (a total of 15 kilometers) and the service used sheds as stations. However the service lasted only for a year and it closed on 1991. The problems encountered during the operation were informal settlers, water lilies (since it prevents the boats from traveling at normal speeds), foul odor and garbage disposed on the river.
In 1996 another ferry service was launched, the Starcraft Ferry, this service's fleet was the ancestor of the current Pasig River Ferry Service fleet since this service had 30 units of catamaran-type boats (the same type used by the current Pasig River Ferry Service) with a seating capacity of 30 people with air-conditioning and unlike Magsaysay Lines, the route stretched from Bambang in Pasig City down to Escolta in Manila (a total of 16.2 kilometers). However, like the Magsaysay Lines, Starcraft Ferry only lasted for a year and it closed in 1997. Like the Magsaysay Lines, the problems encountered during the operation were informal settlers, water lilies (since it prevents the boats from traveling at normal speeds), foul odor and garbage disposed on the river.
The latest ferry service was inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on February 14, 2007 with five stations operating which includes Escolta, PUP, Sta. Ana, Hulo and Guadalupe. After a year, the entire system grew from 5 stations to 14 stations with more stations still to be constructed.
Unlike the previous Pasig River ferry services, this ferry service used only 10 boats. However, to compensate for it, each boat could have as many as 150 people and had air conditioning, music, high definition televisions and comfort rooms on board. Also, unlike the two previous ferry services, this service had full stations with amenities such as comfort room, ticketing system, waiting seats and security guards. Also, it was the longest serving ferry in the river, both in terms of length of the route (28 kilometers and 2 lines) and the length of service (although the company did somewhat considered closing the ferry in June, 2008 due to low number of passengers). It was also the only ferry service that serviced the Marikina River from Riverbanks Center in Marikina City although the line was not yet operational.
This ferry service was not without problems. In the early days of the service up to June, 2008, the low passenger turnout nearly caused NTSI (Nautical Transport Services, Incorporated) to go bankrupt and it even considered closing the ferry. However, the continuing surge in the oil prices in the Philippines forced commuters to use alternative modes of transportation, including the ferry. From July 2008, the number of passengers increased 15% every week and almost all boats were full. This and other related events made the NTSI consider purchasing more boats to increase capacity as opposed to closing the line.[1]
Although there were still pollution-related problems, odor and garbage problems were not as bad as they were during the Magsaysay Lines and Starcraft Ferry days) through the efforts of the government, but the persistent problem of the water lilies blocking the pathway of the boats and their infestation on the stations on the river remained.[2]
This service was also used by the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission to highlight the importance of the environment to the people of Manila. Lectures were conducted to stakeholders from various companies and schools (at least four times a month) and to the regular passengers of the ferry (at least thrice a week).[3]
The entire ferry network had 17 stations operational and 2 lines. The first line was the Pasig River Line which stretched from Plaza Mexico in Intramuros, Manila to Nagpayong station in Pasig City. The second line was the Marikina River Line which served the Guadalupe station in Makati City up to Santa Elena station in Marikina City.
The Marikina River Line was to begin operation with the opening of the Riverbanks Station near the recently-opened SM City Marikina in Marikina City. The Marikina River Line as of 23 February, 2009 was still closed and was still undergoing vehicular planning.
Through its entire operation, the ferry service changed their trip schedules several times. Each boat has a 30-minute, 1-hour, 2-hour and 3-hour trip intervals depending on the time of the day. Rush hours tend to have shorter boat intervals while off-peak hours tend to have longer boat intervals. This was done to maximize the efficiency of each boats and to reduce over-consumption of fuel[4].
As of 23 February, 2009, there are 17 operational ferry stations:
| # | Station | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plaza Mexico | Intramuros, Manila |
| 2 | Escolta | Binondo, Manila |
| 3 | Lawton | Lawton, Ermita, Manila |
| 4 | Quiapo | Quiapo, Manila |
| 5 | PUP (Polytechnic University of the Philippines) | Santa Mesa, Manila |
| 6 | Santa Ana | Santa Ana, Manila |
| 7 | Lambingan | Punta, Santa Ana, Manila |
| 8 | Valenzuela | Barangay Valenzuela, Makati City |
| 9 | Hulo | Barangay Hulo, Mandaluyong City |
| 10 | Guadalupe | Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City |
| 11 | Pineda | Barangay Pineda, Pasig City |
| 12 | San Joaquin | Barangay San Joaquin, Pasig City |
| 13 | Bambang | Barangay Bambang, Pasig City |
| 14 | Kalawaan | Barangay Kalawaan Sur, Pasig City |
| 15 | Pinagbuhatan - Acasia | Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City |
| 16 | Maybunga | Barangay Maybunga, Pasig City |
| 17 | Nagpayong | Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City |
The system uses twin-hulled, double-engined, catamaran-type boats with a maximum seating capacity of 150 people. The boats are air-conditioned, equipped with radio, sound systems, a public address system and utilize fixed plastic chairs. There are rest rooms. These boats were constructed by the Nautical Transport Services, Incorporated and approved by the Maritime Industry Authority on December 10, 2006.
The stations are air-conditioned and provide rest or comfort rooms. Every station employs cashiers that sell tickets to passengers.
The ticketing system in some stations employ the paper tickets. However, some stations, especially the first 5 stations (Escolta, PUP Station, Santa Ana, Hulo and Guadalupe) employ the bar-coded tickets which are scanned by a bar-code reader in the turnstile.
There are four prices of tickets: a P25, P35, P45 and a P60 ticket. The Pasig River Ferry Service also provides discounts to student passengers. A P20 ticket is available for students regardless of distance traveled.
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