Hybrid and high-speed ferries take design and lightweighting skills to the extreme

Leading the way in passenger boat design, the two new welded aluminium vessels, being built at Wight Shipyard on the Isle of Wight, take strides in improving the sustainability credentials of the business as well as propelling the wider marine sector. 

BATTERY HYBRID

The hybrid design will allow the new vessels to operate solely on battery power while transporting commuters and sightseers through the Capital – throughout the Central Zone, between Tower and Battersea Power Station piers – and recharge while using biofuelled power outside of central London. The technology is not reliant on shore-based charging; the new boats will use excess power from the biofuelled engines to re-charge their batteries for the central London stretch.

The new boats push the boundaries in catamaran design to deliver a future-friendly option that can be made even greener as and when technology allows. As well as being the city’s most eco-friendly passenger boats, these will be Uber Boat by Thames Clippers’ quietest vessels.

“For over 20 years we have been at the forefront of innovation for the river marine sector”, said Sean Collins, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers’ co-founder and CEO. “This development in technology has enabled us to take the first major steps to meet our future environmental vision.”

“As a business, we are continuing to embrace the emerging technological advances that will see us continue to develop our fleet and infrastructure, thereby supporting a sustainable future in our industry.”

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is London’s River Bus service. Services run at 10-20 minute intervals between key London piers including North Greenwich for The O2, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Tower, London Bridge City, Westminster, and London Eye (Waterloo), as well as several residential piers, including Battersea Power Station Pier.

Co-founded in 1999 by Sean Collins (CEO) and Alan Woods (former Chairman), the company began with one boat servicing 80 passengers a day between Greenland (Rotherhithe) and Savoy piers. In 2006 AEG, owners, and operators of The O2, acquired the majority stake in the company and since then the fleet has grown substantially to 21 vessels serving 23 piers across 4 routes. River Bus Express is an additional fast direct service connecting The O2 at North Greenwich to London Bridge, London Eye (Waterloo) and Battersea Power Station on arena event nights.

2 MILLION PASSENGERS

Now 23 years on from its launch, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers carried 2 million passengers in 2021, representing a 50% like for like compared with 2019 pre-Covid passenger numbers; exceeding the performance of many other public transport modes in London during the pandemic. Passengers are able to use contactless payment, Oyster to pay as you go and pre-book via the Uber app as well as the existing Thames Clippers Tickets app to travel with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, making river travel even easier.

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers operates a modern and fuel-efficient fleet of high-speed catamarans. In order to find viable sustainable options, the business continues to break new ground and invest in trials and the development of technology, including seeking and winning Department for Transport funding to drive for a greener marine future, particularly focused on the development of hybrid and hydrogen-powered vessels.

A ticketing partnership with Uber launched in 2020 and encourages more people to enjoy travel by boat around the city, helping to link travel by river and road, all through the Uber app.