Sydney Ferry Ticket Prices Changed Sydney ferry commuters and transport advocates have reacted with anger to the state government's decision to increase the cost of weekly ferry tickets, saying it will reduce the number of people commuting by boat. About a quarter of all Sydney's ferry passengers will have to pay more after the O'Farrell government on Friday announced it would drop the use of a popular travel card on ferry journeys. Ferry passengers will instead have to buy the more expensive MyMulti2 or MyMulti3 tickets, which can also be used on buses and trains, single tickets or Travel Ten tickets. Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian's announcement follows a recommendation by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal that the government ban the use of MyMulti1 tickets on ferries, used by 25 per cent of ferry passengers, because they represent too much of a discount. From September, anyone wanting to buy a multi ticket and travelling from west of Cabarita on the Parramatta River or from Manly will need to buy a MyMulti3, which costs $61 a week. The Labor opposition said Ms Berejiklian was treating ferry commuters as little more than cash cows. "The Minister has broken her promise that public transport fares wouldn't go up unless service quality improved," said shadow transport minister Penny Sharpe. Last year Ms Berejiklian said: "We will not increase fares above CPI unless services improve." Asked whether ferry services had improved, Ms Berejiklian said on Friday the government had added 165 extra weekly services, upgraded four wharves and was introducing Opal electronic ticketing. Diane Sheppard, who commutes from Dee Why to the city, said it was absurd the price of the Manly ferry was increasing when the government had just promised extra buses from North Curl Curl and Balgowlah to take people to the wharf. ""They're advertising this new bus, but why would anyone catch it?,"" Ms Sheppard said. Matthew Vercoe, from Meadowbank, pointed out that a ferry down the Parramatta River to the city was now a lot more expensive than the train, even though the train station was about 200 metres from the ferry wharf. ""I much prefer to travel by ferry,"" said Mr Vercoe, ""but I'll probably have to review it and look at the train and/or drive,"" he said. The release committed the government to opening just one new wharf, at Barangaroo, and also included the closure of smaller wharves at Bayview and Balmain West. Mr Taylor was disappointed the government did not commit to new wharves that would have encouraged patronage.