Spirit of Ontario:

Losses flood Toronto-Rochester ferry Source: THE TORONTO STAR Byline: John Goddard Date: 10/27/2005 Passenger numbers jumped in August, but the Rochester-Toronto ferry still lost $4.2 million (U.S.) in its first two months back in service. Ridership on crossings between the Lake Ontario cities rose to 402 per trip in August on average from 239 in July, the Rochester Ferry Co. said yesterday. Total passenger figures rose to 45,811 in August from 26,320 during the ferry's first full month of operation in July. Increased tour bus traffic has helped the trend, said Michael Riehl, manager of the International Marine Passenger Terminal on the Toronto side. "On Saturday mornings, usually two to four buses leave from Toronto heading south," he said. The 774-seat ferry had been projected to lose around $700,000 in startup and operating costs this year. But startup expenses alone ate up $2 million and operating losses through August totalled $2.2 million, Rochester Ferry Co. reported, blaming mainly a slow start in ridership. The city of Rochester, which owns the ferry, has an $8 million cushion set aside for projected deficits through 2007. The giant car-and-passenger ferry, Spirit of Ontario, moves across the lake at 80 km/h and completes a one-way trip in 2 hours and 30 minutes. A car trip around the lake can take three to four hours - longer when traffic is tied up at the border. Rochester Mayor William Johnson said he plans trips shortly to Toronto; the New York state capital, Albany; and possibly Ottawa to persuade tourism departments to dedicate promotional funds toward the ferry. He is retiring as mayor but said he would make the trip with his successor after the Nov. 8 election. "Much of our dollars this year were devoted to operations," Johnson said in a telephone interview. "We had a very lean marketing budget and we need to increase that exponentially." The ferry was launched in the spring of 2004 and sailed for 80 days before shutting down that September with $1.7 million in debt. The city of Rochester bought the boat in February and relaunched it June 30.

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