Shields Ferry

The Shields Ferry operates across the River Tyne, England, between North Shields and South Shields. The service is operated by Nexus (The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive) and is part of the Tyne and Wear Metro System. It was known as The Market Place Ferry until takeover by the PTE in 1972.

There have been ferries across the Tyne since the 14th century, and this is the only service that remains.

The ferry service makes just under 25,000 journeys a year, and carries nearly 400,000 passengers a year. There are two vessels that operate the service, currently; The Pride of the Tyne (1993) and The Spirit of the Tyne (2007). Usually only one ferry is in operation at a time, although both will be used during peak periods to operate a shuttle service. Also, if The Pride of the Tyne is in use of Private Hire/Rivertrip etc. the Spirit of the Tyne will operate the standard ferry service. Each trip, the Shields Ferry travels approx. 0.48miles (0.77 km) across the river.

Passengers on the north bank can transfer to the 333 bus service at North Shields ferry landing to be taken direct to the town centre and metro station. The alternative to this is a short 5- to 10-minute walk via the steep hill of Borough Road.

In 2008 the PTE appointed Carol Timlin as the service's first female general manager.

The Freda Cunningham was the first ferry to be commissioned and was in use when the ferry service was called the "Market Place Ferry". This vessel had a reputation for unreliability and was frequently out of service. The ferry's name came from the wife of North East Labour Party leader Andy Cunningham, whose son was the politician and cabinet minister, Jack Cunningham. She was commissioned in 1972 and sold in 1993 when the Pride of The Tyne came into service.

In 2006 the vessel, now named Mystic Waters, began operating between west Cork and Sherkin Island.

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