On Tuesday, Brisbane City Council’s Public and Active Transport Committee discussed a 505-signature petition requesting the council immediately make the cross-river ferry services from Bulimba to Teneriffe free for all passengers.

Chairman Adrian Schrinner said the council did not support the introduction of a free service.

“The services between Bulimba and Teneriffe are not underutilised, so you don’t need a free service to boost patronage,” he said.

The only free ferry service in Brisbane is the City Hopper, which Cr Schrinner said was made free after the 2011 floods to stimulate economic activity and visitation into the inner-city area.

About 6800 people catch the CityCat or cross-river ferry from Bulimba each week, making it one of the city’s busiest terminals.

Morningside councillor Kara Cook started the petition for the free service during her election campaign ahead of her successful win at the January byelection.

Cr Cook said her biggest concern with the lack of free cross-river services is that Bulimba was on a peninsula, had traffic problems and so using public transport needed to be encouraged.

“A free cross-river ferry between Bulimba and Teneriffe is a low-cost congestion-busting initiative," she said.

“The LNP council has completely missed the point. They have given no valid reason why this is not a viable congestion-busting option.

"This is about getting people out of their cars and on to public transport."

Cr Schrinner said the council would write to TransLink to ask whether it supported the request and was prepared to accept the loss of revenue.

Cr Cook said she would contact the state Transport Minister Mark Bailey for an urgent meeting.

The committee's four LNP councillors voted against removiong the fares, with Cr Cook and her Labor colleague Jared Cassidy (Deagon) voting for the move.