ICT14270 Woolwich Ferry Real Time Information (RTI)

The Woolwich Ferry (WF) service was established by Parliament in 1885, compelling the provision of a permanent, free river crossing of the Thames at Woolwich. Asset ownership and operational responsibilities have been vested in several relevant local authorities over the years, transferring to TfL upon its creation in 2000. The Woolwich Ferry River service transitioned to in-house operation on 1st January 2021.

The Woolwich ferry is a free service operated by TfL that links Woolwich and North Woolwich and carries pedestrians, cyclists, cars, vans and heavy goods vehicles.

There is a clear demand for the service, however, currently there is very little in the way of public facing real time information, both at the ferry sites and online, about how the service is operating.

With such little information being available, users arrive at the ferry ‘blind’, unaware of delays or other disruptions that may impact their journey, and this very quickly starts to impact the local road network, causing further delays in the local area that can affect TfL bus services.

Even when they have arrived at the site, there is no information available that tells customers how long their expected wait time is before they can board the ferry.

A solution is required that can accurately and automatically provide real time information on all aspects of the ferry’s operation. This should be available in signage at the ferry sites, but also be available to a wider audience via the TfL website and VMS signs across London, as well as other transport applications that can use this data.