LONDON, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The London Assembly's transport committee has called for transformation of the iconic Thames into a river tube, although the British capital is famed for its underground system, better known as the London tube.
Describing the River Thames as an under-utilized transport goldmine that cuts through the heart of London, the committee has written to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to champion the waterway and urge him to expand river transport services.
Transport Committee chair Caroline Pidgeon said: "What could be more charming than taking the Thames to work."
Though passenger journeys have been increasing on the river, the committee says it believes a number of issues need to be addressed urgently to achieve the mayor's and Port of London Authority's (PLA) ambitious target of doubling passenger journeys on the Thames.
Regular and commuter journeys on the River Bus account for only 20 to 30 percent of total passenger journeys on the Thames.
"Given the importance of the river and the pressure on other modes, the committee thinks it is essential for River Bus services to be given more support," said a spokesperson for the London Assembly.
The assembly has called on the mayor to appoint a river ambassador to provide the leadership required to promote river passenger transport. It also wants Transport for London (TfL) to resolve congestion around river piers in central London.
Pidgeon said: "London's river has fantastic potential to enhance our transport network, but it is being under-utilized. What it needs is a champion to establish the River Bus as a key part of London's transport network and to invite investment for new infrastructure or upgrades.
"We would like to see more emphasis on increasing regular and commuter journeys on the River Bus. Accessibility also needs to improve, as there are a number of smaller piers that are not accessible. And TfL needs to actively manage congestion around the central piers.
"We want to see a boom in river travel but don't want to undermine efforts to reduce dangerous emissions. So, river-specific emissions standards need to be developed to reduce all river vessel pollution."
Since 2010 the total number of journeys on the Thames has increased from 6 million to 10 million. TfL says it is on track to meet its target for 12 million journeys by 2023.
Currently river bus services run on five routes from 22 piers between Putney and Woolwich. Last year, 4.2 million journeys were made on River Buses.
