Recent cuts to the ferry schedule were the result of “tough decisions” by Government, Acting Transport Minister Michael Weeks said yesterday.He said the changes were necessary after the ferry service budget was slashed by 24 percent.Reductions were subsequently made to every route with the majority of changes made in an effort to reduce fuel consumption, Mr Weeks said.l Operating speeds were dropped from 28 knots to 23 knots.l Service cuts were made to routes and runs with the lowest number of users.The Orange Route to St George’s lost its commuter service in the cut, and had its total number of stops halved.The tender Bermudian will be used to transfer cruise ship passengers from Dockyard to the Old Town to compensate for the loss.Harbourmaster David Simmons said the service will start this morning with the arrival of Enchantment of the Seas.It will make one round trip weekday except Tuesday, departing Dockyard at 10.30am and returning from St George’s at 3pm.On Tuesdays the Government tender will transfer passengers from the Veendam into St George’s from Murray’s Anchorage.The Pink Route, which serves Paget and Warwick, has been scaled back to one ferry instead of two and has lost its weekend and holiday services.A replacement could be in the offering however. Mr Weeks said Government is working on “a public-private partnership”, the details of which will be “imminently” announced.The Green Route ferry to Rockaway lost four of its midday runs. The Blue Route servicing Dockyard has had its hours cut: the last trip to Hamilton now leaves at 9pm instead of 10pm.Marine and Ports director Francis Richardson said he didn’t think the move would deter cruise visitors from dining in Hamilton. “There are other means of transport, such as the bus,” he said.The late-night Dockyard service regularly had between ten and 35 passengers last summer. The service will continue to run until 10pm on Wednesday nights to accommodate Harbour Nights.Mr Weeks conceded that the schedule changes had been the topic of “much public discussion”.St George’s West MP Kim Swan yesterday accused Government of “making locals pay for its errors”.“One of the things that sticks out like a sore thumb is the elimination of the morning service,” the Opposition leader said.“Government invested a lot of money to encourage people to change their mindset and use the ferry system. Certainly as we try to reduce the cars on the road, I think these are changes that need to be revisited Island-wide.”St George’s Mayor Kenneth Bascome said he was interested to see how the cutbacks affected his area.“I know it’s a disappointment for the community at this end,” he said. “To really be able to see the impact, we must look at this week and see how much of a negative impact it’s having.”The Pink Route has lost all commuter services at the Lower Ferry and Hodsdon’s ferry stops.One user said: “The new schedule totally cuts out my Hodsdon’s stop during ‘regular’ commuting hours. There is no 8am or 5pm ferry. When I called to complain, the guy told me if I use Hodsdon’s or Lower Ferry I’m close to town and can drive or maybe the Newstead Hotel ferry will take me.”She added: “I called Newstead and the receptionist said the ferry is for hotel guests only.”A 36-year-old Paget woman who relied on Lower Ferry to commute into Hamilton said the cut was “very, very inconvenient for hardworking residents”.“There were four ferries from 7.30am to 8.45am and they’ve cut all of them,” she said. “I have to be in work by 8.30am. For the moment I’ve borrowed a car for a week, but it means I’m going to have to purchase a bike. I appreciate that cutbacks have to be made, but why couldn’t they cut from the late morning and mid-afternoon? Why leave commuters stranded?”Asked for comment, Mr Richardson said these cuts had also been made due to low usage.“It’s never easy, but ultimately it was the ridership,” he said. “We’re running with one vessel instead of two. However, with the Harbour [Road] route, we do have the potential to do more in the future, with an agreement with a private contractor.”No cuts in staff have been made to the ferry service. Service reductions will allow staff to be shifted more easily, cutting down on overtime, which Mr Richardson said had cost Government over $800,000 last year.The summer ferry schedule, which started on Monday, will remain in effect until November 13.Useful web link: www.marops.bm.