Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson has launched a trial hovercraft service across the Forth.
The crossing, which will run from Kirkcaldy and Portobello, starting next Monday, July 16, to Saturday 28 July, is run by Stagecoach, with part funding from SEStran, the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership.
Car users are being encouraged to test the hovercraft, as statistics show that around 70 per cent of cars crossing the Forth road bridge have only one occupant and motorists could cut their carbon emissions by switching to the hovercraft.
Stevenson said: “This is an innovative trial which has the potential to change the way people travel between Fife and Edinburgh. If we are to tackle congestion on Scotland’s roads and encourage people out of their cars, we must give people a wide range of public transport choices.
“This trial gives people that added choice. I hope as many people as possible take advantage of the hovercraft service and make this trial a success.”
The trial, which will run 22 services a day - 11 in each direction - will cover part of the period of the Forth Bridge closure, giving commuters a further public transport alternative to the train in addition to existing regular bus services.
Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group chief executive, said: “Public transport has clear environmental benefits over the car and we are very excited by the potential of the hovercraft service. The hovercraft can help shorten journey times for commuters and we also believe it will appeal to leisure travelers based in Scotland and tourists visiting from overseas.
“We have had huge support from statutory organisations and the local community for the service and we will be working closely with a range of partners to study the results of the trial in due course.”
SEStran chair Councilor Russell Imrie added: “SEStran is supporting this trail with £92,000 of funding because we believe the service can make a useful contribution towards our objectives of cutting single occupancy car journeys and reducing pollution.
“The hovercraft service can take 130 passengers on each trip. That’s 130 people out of their cars and on to public transport. It’s also a far more enjoyable way to start the day; a 20 minute voyage across the Forth, followed by a fast bus into the city centre, or a drive in heavy traffic into town, followed by the hunt for a parking space. I know which I would choose.”
Stagecoach estimates that running a permanent, two-craft operation would cost around £2million a year. Around 9,000 passengers a week - and up to 470,000 passengers a year – are estimated would use the service. While they say such a service would require initial public investment, Stagecoach believes that within a few years passenger volumes could grow to make it commercially sustainable.
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