Tatty-looking ferries don’t impress, but passengers are generally satisfied

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Despite political clashes over ferry maintenance, a number of regular ferry riders described the fleet as mostly well kept up.

Ferry riders at the Hamilton terminal yesterday said they had encountered very few, if any maintenance-related problems with the ferry service.

Andrew Richards, a Rockaway ferry passenger, said of his ferry rides: “I’ve always had a good experience. The docks are fairly decent.”

James Devison also said he’s had “no issues”, adding the ferries “always seem clean”.

Another rider, Kim Bennett, said with the exception of some out-of-order restrooms, “They’re pretty well kept up.”

Those passengers who had any concerns about ferry maintenance said the issues were mainly cosmetic.

Kay DeSalvo, a nine-time visitor to Bermuda, takes the ferry from Salt Kettle when she is on the Island.

“They look kind of shoddy this year,” she said. ‘They’ve cut back on some of the times.”

But Mrs DeSalvo said she has never experienced inconveniences due to poor maintenance, and that the ferries were almost always on time.

One 50-year-old Warwick resident who takes the ferry on a daily basis was less satisfied with the condition of the vessels.

“The maintenance has been less thorough,” he said.

“It’s an embarrassment to see these rusty tugs here.”

He said there had been damage on some docks since the rubber rails on some ferries had worn away and not been replaced. However he said he thought the issues were not caused by a lack of funding.

“It just seems like nobody wants to repair anything. We just need to do our jobs.”

Another Warwick resident summed up the only maintenance issues he’s been aware of riding the ferry.

“The air conditioning isn’t working on some, and they could use a paint job.”

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