Ferry ridership has jumped in the two months since the launch of operations of the new faster ferry Serenity, the Transport Minister revealed at the launch of a sister ship yesterday.

Resolute, a Sea Express catamaran, was christened at the Ferry Terminal in Hamilton with several senior citizens - June is Seniors Month - and a host of Marine & Ports civil servants and Government MPs were at the ceremony which was followed by a round trip to Dockyard. Also on board was Thomas Wadson, who won the competition to name the new `faster' ferry.

And there was nothing but praise for the new ferry from guests on the inaugural trip. Mrs. Ileys Morton, who rides the ferries each Wednesday morning, said with delight: "They're just the right way to start the day. Much better than battling traffic." Mrs. Karen Duncan, a visitor from California, is here on her fifth visit.

Having used the older ferries she expressed disbelief at the "huge improvements" and said she had plans to "definitely use them more often".

The first new ferry, Serenity, became operational in April and since then there has been a marked increase in ferry usage. Dr. Brown revealed that numerous compliments to the Ministry of Transport have come in. A survey conducted on board during the past month revealed that 90 percent rated the comfort of Serenity as "very good", and that over 61 percent had never used the ferry before the new service was introduced.

Dr. Brown said, "Since April, I have received letters nearly every week at the Ministry, showering the new service's praise.

"When people come to politicians and say that the ferries are good and they are happy, that makes the politicians happy."

The decision to introduce the ferrys was based on Dr. Brown's view that in order to get people out of their cars and using public transport, the new vehicles must be "affordable, comfortable, and convenient" to reduce road traffic congestion.

According to Dr. Brown, because of all the praise, the current plan is to eventually introduce two more ships, pending the success of the first ones after six months time.

Regarding the price of travelling on the ferries, Dr. Brown promised affordability, saying: "There will be no price increase this year. If there is one next year, it will be minimal".