International ferry fare comparison update

In August 2008 and October 2010 we did research into various ferry fares around the world. So we are now doing an update and comparison over 3 years.
The Waiheke ferry is still up there among the most expensive in the world, not really a change there. What has changed is an increase in the number of integrated ticketing systems available for all transport modes within a geographical region – even in so-called developing countries like Turkey -  something we are still waiting for in Auckland.

Service	Aug 2008	Oct 2010	Sep 2011	Ride length	Notes
Auckland-Waiheke (NZ)	$344	$330	$350 $19 a trip	35mins	Valid for Waiheke ferry, bus and selected Auckland bus services
Wellington-Eastbourne* (NZ)	$245	$252	$252	20mins
Seattle-Vashon (USA)	US$118/$166	US$3.75/$4.90 a trip	US$3.75/$4.60 a trip	22mins	Orca card prepay
West Seattle-Vashon (USA)	US$55/$78	US$53.50/$70.30	US$3/$3.67 a trip	10mins	Orca card prepay
Seattle-Kingston (USA)		US$275/$361.50	US$250/$305.85 for 40 rides	50mins	Limited service
San Diego-Coronado* (USA)	Free	Free	Free	15mins
New York-Staten Island* (USA)	Free	Free	Free	25mins
Sydney ferries* (AUS)	A$1,280/$1,562 to A$2,200/$2,684 a year	A$41/$53.70 to A$57/$74.40 a week	A$42.20/$53.58 to A$52.80/$67.03 for 10 rides
Boston ferries* (USA)	US$198/$279	US$198/$260.30	US$198/$242.23		All mode travel
Alameda-Oakland* (USA)	US$170/$240	US$170/$223.50	US$170/$207.98	20mins	40 rides within one month
Hong Kong Star Ferry* (HK)	HK$110/$20	HK$125/$21.20	HSK$125/$19.61	9mins
Vancouver Translink (CAN)	C$73/$99 to C$136/$184	C$81/$106.60 to C$151/$198.70	C$81/$99.18 to C$151/$184.90		Zone based, all travel modes
Maine Portland (USA)	US$87/$123.50 to US$127.50/$181	US$82.45/$108.40 to US$125.15/$164.50	US$82.45/$100.87 to US$125.15/$153.11		Various islands
Isle of Wight (UK)	£150.80/$392	£163/$343.70	£171.50/$332.52	22mins
Vlissingen-Breskens* (NL)		€69.50/$130	€69.50/$115.53	20mins
Den Helder-Texel (NL)		€30/$55	€30/$49.87	20mins	15 return tickets on OV- chipcard
Istanbul ferries*			TL1.75/$1.18 a trip		Istanbul card

Notes: All prices are for monthly passes and ferry travel only, unless stated otherwise. The exchange rates are at Aug 2008, Oct 2010 and Sep 2011.
* denotes not an island service, passengers have other (land-based) transport options.

"Fast, reliable and cheap". Yeah, right

An interesting article in the NZ Herald on the length of time of commuting by car; and the dearth and cost of public transport costing Auckland a higher ranking in the world of liveable cities.

Auckland has again been rated bottom of a class of 14 cities for the average number of public transport trips taken annually by its residents.
They took an average of just 44 trips a year, compared with 74 trips by Wellingtonians, 124 by Melbourne residents and 168 by those in Ottawa.
The report noted that Auckland's public transport patronage has risen 8.5 per cent since the study.
Aucklanders also paid the highest average fares of the surveyed cities, of 24c for every kilometre travelled, compared with 17c in Wellington and 11c in Perth.

To which we can easily answer: you city dwellers in Auckland have got it sweet. We, Waihekeans (and you poor tradies trotting over to the island every morning), pay $1 per kilometre travelled.
That's the price we pay for a private monopoly. "Public transport" is an alien concept on the Waitemata.