London River Services

Locale	London, England
Waterway	River Thames
Transit type	Commuter boats, ferries and tourist/leisure services
Owner	Transport for London
Operator	Various boat companies
Began operation	1999
No. of terminals	25 (8 managed by TfL)
Website	http://www.tfl.gov.uk/river

London River Services Limited is a division ofTransport for London (TfL), which manages passenger transport - leisure-oriented tourist services and commuter services - along theRiver Thames in and around London. It does not own or operate any boats itself, except those on theWoolwich Ferry, butlicences the services of operators.^[1]

The Thames had been used as a common means of transport in London for centuries, but use died off in the early 1900s, as transportation was enhanced (and river traffic somewhat blocked) with a proliferation ofbridges and tunnels. With these numerous north–south crossings of the Thames, which is generally no more than 300 m (980 ft) wide as it flows through central London, the revival of river boat services in London therefore mostly travel east or west along the Thames rather than across it; the only major cross-river ferry services can be found further downstream where the river is much wider, and there are far fewer bridge or tunnel crossings.

The decision to revive London's river service network moved forward in 1997 with the launch of "Thames", a £21-million project (£48 million today) to regenerate the River Thames and create new passenger transport services on the Thames. While the service is not as extensive as those inHong Kong orSydney, it has been growing: in 2007, more than 700,000 commuters travelled by river onThames Clippers services, one of theoperators on the system;^[2] in 2013 the Thames Clippers service had grown to 3.3 million, as it had become more integrated into thetube, rail and bus ticketing system;^[3] in 2014 their figures were 3.8 million;^[3] in 2015 it was forecasted that their ridership would increase to 4.3 million by 2016, supported by the addition of new Clipper boats.^[3] By 2018, there were 21 different operators carrying daily commuter, leisure, charter, or sightseeing passengers to various combinations of the 33 piers along the system.

Before the construction ofLondon's bridges and theUnderground, the River Thames had served as a major thoroughfare for centuries. Attempts to regulate the transport of passengers and goods began in 1197, whenKing Richard I sold the Crown's rights over the Thames to theCity of London Corporation, which then attempted to license boats on the river. In 1510Henry VIII granted a licence towatermen that gave exclusive rights to carry passengers on the river,^[4] and in 1555 an Act of Parliament set up theCompany of Watermen and Lightermen to control traffic on the Thames.

For centuries the only bridge across the Thames wasLondon Bridge. Crossing the river bywherry (small wooden rowing boat) was a common mode of transport.^[5]

Passenger steamboats were introduced in 1815 and the use of the river as a means of public transport increased greatly. River services ran fromGravesend,Margate andRamsgate viaGreenwich andWoolwich into central London. By the mid-1850s about 15,000 people per day travelled to work on steamboat services – twice the number of passengers on the newly emerging railways.^[6] With increased congestion on the river, collisions and other accidents became correspondingly more frequent, most notably with thePrincess Alice disaster at Woolwich in 1878.^[7]

While the introduction of large steamboats and bridge construction had taken business from the Thames watermen, the growth of the railways took passengers away from the steamboat services and the use of the river for public transport began a steady decline. River service companies struggled financially, and in 1876 the five main boat companies merged to form theLondon Steamboat Company. The company ran a half-hourly service from Chelsea to Greenwich for eight years until it went bankrupt in 1884. Nevertheless, river services continued under different management into the next century. Many of the Thames paddle steamers around this time were built by theThames Ironworks atBow Creek.^[8]

In 1905 theLondon County Council (LCC) launched its own public river transport service to complement its newtram network, acquiring piers and investing in a large fleet of 30 paddle-steamers.^[9] Frequent services operated from Hammersmith to Greenwich. The LCC river service was not a success; in the first year it ran up debts of £30,000. It was shut down in 1907 after only two years' service.^[10][11]

Numerous proposals for "river bus" services were considered throughout the 20th century, although the few that were realised were cancelled after a short time in service.^[12] DuringWorld War II, from 13 September 1940 to 2 November 1940, a temporary wartime river bus service was introduced, running every 20 minutes, betweenWestminster and Woolwich using converted pleasure cruisers provided by thePort of London Authority to replace train, tram and trolleybus services which were disrupted by the bombing of theBlitz. London Transport bus inspectors andconductors issued and checked the tickets on board the boats.^[13][14]

With the move of thePort of London downstream in the 1960s, regular river transport was limited to a few sightseeing boats.

In 1997Secretary of State for TransportJohn Prescott launched Thames 2000, a £21-million project to regenerate the River Thames in time for the Millennium Celebrations and boost new passenger transport services on the Thames.^[15] The centrepiece of these celebrations was to be theMillennium Dome, but there was also a plan to provide a longer-term legacy of public transport boat services and piers on the river.

TheCross-River Partnership, aconsortium of local authorities, private sector organisations and voluntary bodies, recommended the creation of a public body to co-ordinate and promote river services. This agency, provisionally titled the Thames Piers Agency, would integrate boat services into other modes of public transport, take control of Thames piers from thePort of London Authority, and commission the construction of new piers.^[16]

The result was the formation in 1999 of London River Services (LRS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London.

MayorKen Livingstone'sTransport Strategy for London 2005 stated that: "The safe use of the Thames for passenger and freight services should be developed. Passenger services will be encouraged, particularly services that relate to its cultural and architectural excellence and tourism. Use of London's other navigable waterways for freight, consistent with their roles for leisure use and as ecosystems, will be encouraged."^[17]

Today, LRS is responsible for integrating river transport with the rest of the public transport network, such as the Tube and buses. It promotes boat services under the London River Services brand, issuing timetables and river maps.

LRS is also responsible for directly managing eight piers on the river, and invested in LRS-branded signage and passenger information.

LRS supports theThames Clippers commuter service financially and increased the peak service frequency to a boat every 15 minutes.^[16] In April 2009 the signing of a "RiverConcordat" by London's pier owners, boat operators, borough councils and Transport for London was announced, committing the various parties to improving ticketing, piers and passenger information, and to closer integration into the transport network.^[18]

London River Services is not responsible for maintaining the river itself; thePort of London Authority takes care of river traffic control, security,navigational safety (includingbuoys, beacons, bridge lights and channel surveys),^[19] and theRNLI operatesThames lifeboat services.

The public presentation of London River Services is visually associated with existing TfL design standards, using identical graphic design elements to those used on London Underground publicity, signage and other elements, drawing on the design heritage ofFrank Pick.

The London River Services brand is a sub-brand of TfL which uses the familiarTube roundel, originally devised for London Underground and now established as the corporate branding for all TfL services. The River Services roundel is a dark blue (Pantone 072) bar on pale blue (Pantone 299) circle.

The corporate signage, stationery and literature of TfL services, including LRS, use theNew Johnston typeface.^[20]

LRS publishes diagrammatic river maps in the style ofHarry Beck's iconicTube map. Tube maps published by TfL since 2000 denote river interchange stations with a boat symbol.

The service patterns advertised by TfL can vary according to season. They are divided into three main types:^[21]

Numbered River Bus services (abbreviated toRB) run to a timetable through the day with more frequent services during peak rush hour times. Most services run seven days a week, although some do not operate at weekends. Many operators offer discounted fares toTravelcard holders. The main lines of operation are:

Thecatamaran-hulled vessels have on-board coffee bars, airline-style seating, are wheelchair-accessible and have bicycle racks.

In central London, the River Thames is narrow enough to allow it to be crossed by many bridges; further downstream however, the river widens and there are fewer bridge crossings. Two ferry services are still in operation:

Two other ferry services operate upstream in west London:Hammerton's Ferry and theHampton Ferry. These services are independent of London River Services as they do not serve LRS-managed piers.

Leisure boats are aimed mainly at the tourist market; as they do not usually provide rush hour services, they are not normally suitable for commuting. Some boat companies run regular scheduled services, others may run twice daily, only on certain days of the week, or only during certain months of the year. Boats may also be chartered for private hire. Destinations are often tourist attractions such as theTate Galleries orHampton Court Palace.

• Bankside – Waterloo – Millbank (Tate to Tate)
• Festival Pier – High Speed RIB Tours (Operated By Rib Tours London)
• London Eye River Cruise
• Multilingual Circular Cruise
• Greenwich Pier Sunday Evening Thames Sightseeing Cruise (Campion Launches)
• MV Balmoral and Paddle SteamerWaverley Cruises from Tower Pier
• Richmond – Kingston – Hampton Court
• Tilbury/Gravesend – Greenwich
• Westminster – Kew – Richmond – Hampton Court
• Westminster – St Katharine's Hop-on, Hop-off circular service
• Westminster – Waterloo – Tower – Greenwich
• Westminster Pier – High Speed RIB Tours (Operated By Thames Jet)
• Westminster Pier –Tower Bridge Quay –Greenwich Pier – Thames Flood Barrier (Barrier Gardens Pier) (Operated byThames River Services)

Scheduled tourist and commuter services on the river are operated by a number of private companies, including:^[21]

Charter services, usually catering for large parties, are also available from these and other operators.

Map of Thames piers in London = TfL piers = Other operators' piers

London River Services lists 24 piers on the River Thames in its publications, of which 8 are managed directly by LRS.

In 2000, five new piers were opened with funding from theMillennium Commission under its Thames 2000 project, with a grant of£7,177,000:^[23]

• Tower Millennium Pier
• Blackfriars Millennium Pier
• London Eye Pier
• Westminster Millennium Pier
• Millbank Millennium Pier

The new piers were provided to improve previously neglected travel connections on the Thames and promote the river as an alternative means of public transport.^[24]

Scheduled tourist and commuter services use the following piers, although no single service serves all the piers listed. The piers are listed in order going downstream:^[25]

#	Pier	Services	Nearest tube/train	Destinations	Notes
1	Hampton Court Pier	[3]	Hampton Court	Hampton Court Palace	Managed by Turk Launches Ltd.
2	Hampton Court Landing Stage	Westminster Passenger Services Association (Thames River Boats)	Hampton Court	Richmond upon Thames	Owned & Operated byThames River Boats incorporating Colliers Launches & Maynard Launches.[26]
3	Kingston (Town End Pier)	[4]		Kingston upon Thames	Managed by Turk Launches Ltd. Head office at this pier
4	Kingston (Turks Pier)	[5]	Kingston	Kingston upon Thames	Managed by Turk Launches Ltd.
5	Hammertons Landing Stage		Richmond	Richmond upon Thames Ham House	Hammerton's Ferry,
6	Richmond Landing Stage	Westminster Passenger Services Association (Thames River Boats)	Richmond	Richmond upon Thames	Owned & Operated byThames River Boats incorporating Colliers Launches & Maynard Launches.[26]
7	Richmond (St. Helena Pier)	[6]	Richmond	Richmond upon Thames	Managed operated by Turk Launches Ltd.
8	Kew Pier	Westminster Passenger Services Association (Thames River Boats)	Kew Gardens Kew Bridge	Kew Gardens London Museum of Water & Steam	Owned & Operated byThames River Boats incorporating Colliers Launches & Maynard Launches.[26]
9	Putney Pier	Thames Clippers RB6	Putney Bridge Putney	Fulham Putney	Managed by Livett's Launches[7]
10	Wandsworth Riverside Quarter Pier	Thames Clippers RB6	Wandsworth Town	Wandsworth
11	Chelsea Harbour Pier	Thames Clippers RB6	Imperial Wharf	Chelsea Harbour,Sands End
12	Cadogan Pier	Thames Clippers RB6		Chelsea
13	Battersea Power Station Pier	Thames Clippers RB1, RB2, RB6	Battersea Power Station	Battersea Power Station
14	Vauxhall (St George Wharf) Pier	Thames Clippers RB1, RB2, RB6	Vauxhall Vauxhall		Managed by Consort
15	Millbank Millennium Pier	Thames Clippers RB1, RB2, RB6	Pimlico	Tate Britain art gallery	Managed by TfL
16	Westminster Pier	City Cruises Thames Clippers RB1, RB2 and RB6 Westminster Passenger Services Association (Thames River Boats) Thames River Sightseeing	Westminster	Palace of Westminster Westminster Abbey	Managed by TfL
17	London Eye Pier (Waterloo Millennium Pier)	Thames Clippers RB1	Waterloo Waterloo East	London Eye South Bank arts precinct	Managed by London Eye
18	Embankment Pier	Thames Clippers RB1, RB2 and RB6 Thames River Sightseeing	Embankment Charing Cross	London Eye South Bank arts precinct Trafalgar Square	Managed by TfL
19	Festival Pier	Thames River Sightseeing	Embankment Waterloo	London Eye South Bank arts precinct	Managed by TfL
20	Savoy Pier		Embankment Charing Cross	Savoy Hotel Covent Garden
21	Tower Lifeboat Station	[8]			Only for use byRNLI lifeboats; not open to the public.
22	Blackfriars Pier	Thames Clippers RB1 and RB6	Blackfriars	St Paul's Cathedral Tate Modern art gallery	Managed by TfL
23	Bankside Pier	Thames Clippers RB1, RB2 and RB6 Thames River Sightseeing	Blackfriars	Shakespeare's Globe Tate Modern art gallery	Managed by TfL
24	London Bridge City Pier	Thames Clippers RB1, RB2 and RB6	London Bridge	HMS Belfast Southwark Cathedral
25	Tower Pier	Thames Clippers RB1, RB2 and RB6	Tower Hill Tower Gateway Fenchurch Street	Tower of London Tower Bridge	Managed by TfL
26	Tower Bridge Quay	Thames River Sightseeing	Tower Hill Tower Gateway	St Katharine Docks Tower of London Tower Bridge
27	Doubletree Docklands Pier	Thames Clippers RB4	–	Rotherhithe	Canary Wharf – Rotherhithe Ferry only
28	Canary Wharf Pier	Thames Clippers RB1, RB2, RB4 and RB6	Canary Wharf Canary Wharf Canary Wharf	Canary Wharf financial district
29	Greenland (Surrey Quays) Pier	Thames Clippers RB1	Surrey Quays	Greenland Dock
30	Masthouse Terrace Pier	Thames Clippers RB1	Island Gardens	Isle of Dogs
31	Greenwich Pier	City Cruises Thames Clippers RB1 and RB2 Thames River Sightseeing Viscount Cruises (Campion Launches)	Cutty Sark Greenwich	Greenwich Cutty Sark National Maritime Museum	Managed by TfL
32	North Greenwich Pier (QEII Pier)	Thames Clippers RB1 and RB2	North Greenwich	The O2 Arena
33	Barrier Gardens Pier	Thames River Sightseeing (Pre-Booking Required)	Woolwich Dockyard	Thames Barrier	Summer only
34	Royal Wharf Pier	Thames Clippers RB1	Pontoon Dock West Silvertown	Royal Wharf	Opened 2019[27][28]
35	Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) Pier	Thames Clippers RB1 Woolwich Ferry	Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Arsenal	Woolwich South Circular
36	North Woolwich Pier	Woolwich Ferry	King George V	Woolwich North Circular London City Airport
37	Barking Riverside Pier	Thames Clippers RB1	Barking Riverside	Barking Riverside	Opened April 2022

Unlike theunderground andbus networks, boat operators have their own separate ticketing arrangements and charge separate fares which are generally higher than corresponding journeys by tube or bus. The only exception is theWoolwich Ferry, which is free of charge.

Oyster card is valid on most Thames Clipper services for single fares, offering a ten percent discount. Most boat operators offer discounts toTravelcard holders, as well as toFreedom Pass holders and students.

Ticket sales at piers are managed independently by the operators, and tickets are sold at separate kiosks with no facility for cross-ticketing. Many piers have a line of several sales desks, each owned by a different boat firm. Single tickets can often be bought on board the boat, but this is down to individual operator arrangements.

Some operators offer their own season tickets andcarnets of single tickets. Thames Clipper, for example, offer a one-day Roamer ticket which allows multiple journeys within off-peak hours.

• Crossrail
• Cycling in London
• Docklands Light Railway
• East London Transit
• London Overground
• Tramlink
• Transport on the Regent's Canal

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLondon River Services.

• London River Services Website
• Map of River ServicesArchived 2 November 2020 at theWayback Machine
• Collection of Google Earth locations of London River Services PiersArchived 27 September 2007 at theWayback Machine (RequiresGoogle Earth) from the Google Earth Community forum.
• Summary of Thames steamer services – historical information on former steamboat companies of London (Tramscape)

• London River Services
• Ferry companies of England
• Transport authorities in London
• Transport organisations based in London
• Water transport in London

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