RiverCity Ferries

RiverCity Ferries is a public transport company which commenced operating ferry services in Brisbane on 4 November 2020. It is a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group.

RiverCity Ferries operates 32 vessels serving 21 wharves on the Brisbane River under a ten-year contract (with an optional five-year extension) with the Brisbane City Council. The company won the contract from the previous operator, Transdev Brisbane Ferries.

CityCat
CityCat services operate from UQ St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton calling at West End, Guyatt Park, Regatta, Milton, North Quay, South Bank, QUT Gardens Point, Riverside, Sydney Street, Mowbray Park, New Farm Park, Hawthorne, Bulimba, Teneriffe, Bretts Wharf and Apollo Road. Not all CityCat services stop all stops, with some peak time express services operating.

CityHopper
CityHopper is an inner city service between North Quay and Sydney Street, stopping at South Bank, Maritime Museum, Riverside and Holman Street.

Cross River
Cross River consists of cross-river services at two locations.
 * Bulimba – Teneriffe
 * Holman Street – Riverside known as the Kangaroo Point Cross River Service.

Changes from 15 November 2020

 * Some services which were suspended by Brisbane City Council on 20 July 2020, were either cancelled or reintroduced by RiverCity Ferries as follows:-
 * The Norman Park Cross River service was cancelled permanently.
 * Resumed services were:
 * The Kangaroo Point Cross River service no longer stops at Thornton Street and Eagle Street, and instead operates from Holman Street to Riverside wharf only.
 * Likewise the CityHopper service no longer stops at Dockside, Thornton Street and Eagle Street. Riverside Wharf can be used instead of Eagle Street.
 * The resumed services use the leased KittyCat catamarans.

Fleet
RiverCity Ferries's fleet consists of 23 CityCats, five KittyCats and one CityFerry (out of service undergoing repair). All except the KittyCats are owned by Brisbane City Council; the KittyCats are leased from Captain Cook Cruises.

CityCat ferries
The CityCat vessels are catamarans, and named after the Aboriginal place names for various parts of the Brisbane River and adjacent areas (with the exception of the 19th CityCat, the Spirit of Brisbane, which honours the 2011 flood recovery volunteers ). All CityCats are operated by a crew of three - a master, a deck hand and a ticket seller.

First generation
First generation CityCats have a capacity of 149 passengers. These are to be replaced by additional fourth generation vessels.

Second generation
Second generation CityCats have a capacity of 162 passengers.

Third generation
Third generation CityCats have a capacity of 162 passengers.

Fourth generation
Seven fourth generation CityCats are being delivered from late 2019. They have a capacity of 170 passengers, including 20 on an open upper deck, plus more space for wheelchairs and bicycles than earlier generations. The vessels which each cost $3.7 million, are being constructed at Murarrie by Aus Ships Group.

In December 2019, Brisbane City Council awarded Aus Ships Group a contract for an additional six fourth generation CityCats to replace the first generation vessels at a cost of $3.73 million each.



KittyCats
Five 12 m catamarans, nicknamed KittyCats, have been leased from RiverCity Ferries sister company Captain Cook Cruises in Sydney since November 2020 to operate the CityHopper and cross river services after the monohulled ferries were withdrawn. The first, MV Cockle Bay, arrived in Brisbane in September 2020, to fill in for suspended cross-river ferries awaiting repairs. They have a capacity of 60 passengers (36 seated, 24 standing) and are operated by a crew of one. They are powered by 2 x 184 kW Cummins QSB engines with an economical normal service speed of 18 kn and a maximum speed of 24 kn.

Residents have expressed concerns with the noise of the new vessels, since they came into service. In May 2021, Council ordered SeaLink to fit mufflers to the vessels to reduce noise concerns.

Monohulled ferries
When the CityFerry and CityHopper fleets were suspended from service due to deterioration of their wooden hulls, ferry Kalparrin with its steel monohull remained in service. Kalparrin is currently out of service, undergoing refurbishment and restoration. It's powered by a 86 kW Perkins engine, with a maximum speed of 10 knots and is operated by a crew of one.

EVCat
A prototype electric ferry, to be called the EVCat, was announced by Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner on 14 June 2023. Development would be funded by Brisbane City Council and developed jointly with River City Ferries and Aus Ships. The proposed prototype would be 15 m long and carry 50 passengers, larger than the KittyCats but smaller than the CityCats.

Monohull ferries
The monohulled ferries worked the inner city CityHopper and cross-river CityFerry services. All units were suspended from service in July 2020 following the discovery of rotten wood in their hulls and later replaced by KittyCats.

Restoration of these ferries was mooted but later abandoned due to cost and their 30+ year age; they were auctioned off in August 2022.

CityHopper
These were powered by 134 kW Scania engines, with a maximum speed of 12 knots and were operated by a crew of one.

CityFerry
These were powered by 86 kW Perkins engines, with a maximum speed of 10 knots and were operated by a crew of one.

Kalparrin was the only ferry to survive withdrawal of the fleet due to having a steel hull instead of timber.

Network
The wharves are given in geographical order, heading upstream along the Brisbane River.