Life on the Woolwich Ferry: Commuters amazed that service is still free

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

London commuters say they can’t believe a ferry dating back to the 14th century is still free to use, despite battling years of strikes and suspended service for maintenance.

The origins of the Woolwich Ferry date back to 1308, according to Greenwich council. The ferry was later set up as a free service of paddle steamers in 1889 before being replaced by motor ships in 1963.

Today, the Woolwich Ferry connects Woolwich town centre in Greenwich with North Woolwich in Newham.

Kessavraz Agrahara, 24, is currently living in Erith and uses the Woolwich Ferry to get to and from his university in east London.

He said that the first few times he used the service, he did not know it was free and was worried he would be charged a fine for not paying.

Mr Agrahara said: “I came to the UK one month ago and I’m using this ferry three to four-times-a-week.”

He added: “The second time [I used it], while coming to the ferry, I asked so many people if we needed to buy any tickets or show any ID. They told me no, that it’s all free. It’s great, I’m so happy.”

Christie Chung, 24, visited London for the day from Cambridge to see her friend in Newham.

She said she came to Woolwich to visit the market on Beresford Square and also couldn’t believe the ferry to get to North Woolwich was free.

Ms Chung said: “I just came across the ferry, I actually didn’t even know it was free. Google Maps just told me to go here. I didn’t realise this. I’m just surprised it’s free – to me, nothing really is over here [in London].”

The ferry runs every 15 minutes between 6.30am and 7pm on weekdays. Harjit Singh, 32, lives near London City Airport but comes to Woolwich twice a week to shop with his son.

He said while he finds the ferry useful, he would rather it operated more often and has found the intermittent service due to strikes and bad weather in recent years frustrating.

This summer, the ferry was suspended for six weeks from July 24 to carry out maintenance works.

Mr Singh said: “I would like to see it more often. At the moment, they have only one ferry working. They used to be working with two so now it’s taking a bit longer. They should bring them both back. It’s easier and saves more time.”

Transport for London (TfL) owns Woolwich Ferry and has operated the service since January 2021.

The ferry saw a series of intermittent strikes from pay disputes since TfL took it over, ending in workers receiving a double-digit pay rise this April after an agreement was reached between the transport authority and the Unite worker’s union the month before.

Paul Golden, 61, lives in Blackheath and used the Woolwich Ferry for the first time in 15 years to go to Dagenham last week.

Despite rarely using the service, Mr Golden still thinks the ferry is useful for people who need to bring their cars across the Thames.

Mr Golden said: “I mean obviously it’s useful for cars to get across, they can’t exactly drive across now can they? It’s their only form of getting there.”

TfL has been approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.

Pictured top: Christie Chung, 24, said she could not believe the ferry was free to use (Picture: Joe Coughlan)