Transport Minister Shawn Crockwell hopped aboard a public ferry yesterday morning to hear, first-hand, complaints about the service by morning commuters.

The ferry servicing Watford, Cavello and Rockaway hit the headlines this week as passengers described feeling like “cattle” being transported in crowded, unventilated conditions with unreliable bathroom facilities, not to mention consistently late arrivals.

The Minister said that he had not announced that he would board the ferry saying he did so in order to, “separate fact from fiction and to let individuals know that I am hearing their concerns.”

He travelled on the Serenity — the better of the two ferries servicing the route — but heard all about the problems on the other service, the Tempest.

He told The Royal Gazette: “I was told by the commuters that they had used the Serenity more. Everything ran very well today, it could have been because of the story [in The Royal Gazette]. However, I did get an earful about the passengers’ experiences with the service — it tends to be erratic in terms of punctuality and facilities — at this time of the year, with it being so warm, people don’t want to be getting to town irritated because of the heat — I get it — I understand their concerns.

“They gave me some good ideas like looking into an electronic mechanism that would allow updates on delays.”

Mr Crockwell said he had authorised some overtime this coming weekend to make sure the ferries get some “proper maintenance”.

“Over time is an area we have been given a directive to constrain. There are some challenging and difficult circumstances but my view is we have to do what we can to make sure that these amenities are offered and we have to provide a reliable transportation service to our commuters — the commuters are our customers so it is important they can rely on service.”

Asked whether more could be done to service the ferries during the slow season, the minister said: “Most of our servicing is out of season but I can find out if we are not doing enough. It is a suggestion we are aware of and will be looking into.”

Mr Crockwell said he wanted to clarify some points with the commuters during his journey yesterday, especially with regards to the reasons they had to cut back on the ferries servicing the route.

“The reason is because of the budget cuts. People have to be appreciative that in my ministry we have had to cut the budget by 12 per cent in two years and that is going to have an impact. I have always argued to the Minister of Finance that cuts to a ministry like mine is going to effect service. But I explained to the commenters that by consolidating because there were not enough people to justify multiple ferries for that route.

“I don’t drive the ferry or keep them clean but the buck stops with me and I have had meetings with the director and he is more than aware that I deem it a serious issue and he has to make sure that the pilots are on time and that the maintenance is kept up to a proper standard.”

Mr Crockwell said in an ideal world the government would buy new ferries but it was impossible at present. “A new ferry similar to our last fast ferry purchased in 2006, would cost around $7 million and a second hand one would cost around $3 million. We can’t afford that right now. Many of the boats have exceeded their nautical mile life and yet they are still servicing the public.”

A regular commuter on the ferry Sallie DeSilva who spoke with Mr Crockwell during the commute said: “We had opportunity to voice our concerns and he appeared to be very receptive offering acceptable explanations when asked questions and validating our issues with the service provided. It was an interesting dialogue. Shawn asked that we communicate with him in real time via texts and telephone calls to keep him abreast of the situation as he did understand the ferry ride this morning was the exception for us rather than the rule. We are optimistic at this time.”