https://demo.aeonnews.app/technology/watch-battery-ferry-charges/
A full turnaround at the quay, from ramp down to departure.
The island ferry charges its batteries at the quay while passengers get on and off. We filmed a full turnaround, from the moment the ramp comes down to the moment the ferry leaves again.
The video player shows a preview image until you press play, so YouTube is only contacted when you choose to watch.
The operator says a full charge takes eight minutes at the city quay and twelve at the islands, where the grid connection is weaker.
https://demo.aeonnews.app/infrastructure/late-ferry-to-the-outer-islands-stays-through-the-winter/
Residents won: the council keeps the 23:40 departure all winter.
The harbour council voted on Tuesday to keep the late ferry to the outer islands through the winter, after a petition signed by more than two thousand residents.
The ferry operator welcomed the decision on social media.
just setting up my twttr
— jack (@jack) March 21, 2006
The route has run since 1958 and carries about 410,000 passengers a year. Read more in our guide to the islands.
The timetable takes effect on 1 November.
Runs since 1958 between the city quay and four outer islands. About 410,000 passengers a year. Battery-powered since 2024.
https://demo.aeonnews.app/infrastructure/ferry-operator-adds-night-departures/
Extra crossings at 00:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, at no extra cost for season-ticket holders.
The island ferry operator will add two extra night departures from 1 November, a week after the harbour council voted to keep the late crossing through the winter.
The new departures leave the city at 00:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, and return from the outer islands at 01:20. The operator says the battery ferry can make the extra round trip on a single charge.
We heard the islanders. A ferry that stops at eleven tells people they cannot have an evening in town.
Ines Moreau, managing director of Harbour Lines
Season tickets will cover the new departures at no extra cost. Single tickets bought after 22:00 will be sold only in the app, because the ticket office closes at that time.
The council's transport committee will review passenger numbers in March before deciding on next winter's timetable.
https://demo.aeonnews.app/society/islanders-plan-winter-market/
Twenty stalls at the quay, timed to the afternoon boat out and the new late boat home.
Traders on the outer islands are planning a Saturday winter market at the ferry quay, timed so that visitors from the city can come out on the afternoon boat and go home on the new late departure.
The first market is on 14 November. Around twenty stalls have signed up so far, most of them selling food, wool and woodwork made on the islands.
"For years the last ferry decided when our evening ended," says Jonas Ek, who runs the café by the quay. "Now we can stay open and people can stay with us."
The island association hopes to hold the market every second Saturday until March.
https://demo.aeonnews.app/society/why-one-late-ferry-matters/
Three groups depend on the last boat. Without it, they leave early, stay the night, or move.
On paper, the council's decision is small: one departure kept, two added at weekends. In practice it changes who can live on the islands.
Three groups depend on the late boat. Hospital and restaurant staff who finish after ten. Teenagers who go to school in the city and want to stay for evening activities. And older residents who no longer drive and come to town for concerts, the cinema or a meal.
Without a late ferry, each of those groups faces the same choice: leave early, stay the night, or move. Island schools have lost a quarter of their pupils in fifteen years, and the island association links part of that to the timetable.
The costs are modest by comparison. The operator puts the extra departures at about 180,000 euros a year, less than the council spends on the harbour's Christmas lights.
The real test comes in March, when the passenger numbers are counted. If the late boats run half-empty, the debate will start again. If they fill up, the council will have found a cheap way to keep the islands alive.
