THE London Assembly has called for a major boost to commuting services on the Thames.

The LA's Transport Committee said in a report that the Thames could help ease congestion on the Tube, trains and buses in the capital.

But "Poor public awareness" and a "lack of direction" from Transport for London meant the full potential of the Thames as an effective transport system was not harnessed.

TfL dismissed the report, saying it was "fatally flawed" and that funding the river service cost more than other public transport services.

The report said that the Thames Clipper service - which has run since 2003 and currently transports 2500 passengers a day - could be transporting "many thousands" more Londoners.

Assembly member Angie Bray said the river commuter services could be viable, without having to spend huge sums of public money.

"We have identified a number of key issues that are effectively preventing London's river services making further headway," she said.

"Not least of these is the lack of direction and ideas from within Transport for London on how to develop river transport, which is baffling given the potential of the service to take some pressure off our increasingly congested tubes and buses.

"Poor public awareness due to a lack of information is also holding the service back. If people don't know when and where the services run, and how they link up with other forms of transport, they won't use them.

"As well as meeting the everyday needs of commuters and residents of new mixed-use riverside developments, the river service is ideal for people travelling to and from large events, including the 2012 Olympics."p>

The investigation found a number of private developers had offered funding and support to build new piers, but TfL had rejected the extra resources. Ms Bray added: "TfL needs to change its attitude and take river services seriously."

Tfl Surface Transport operations director Mike Weston said the report was "flawed" because it recommended that commuter river services be provided "irrespective of costs and benefits".

"We consider this report to be fatally flawed. It fails to accept its own evidence that financial support for commuter river services does not represent best value," he said.

"TfL has already made a substantial investment in developing sustainable commuter services on the Thames. Where it represents value for money we will continue to make river transport a more attractive and viable commuter option.

"This report is a complete about face by the Assembly. TfL have been criticised for many years by the Conservatives and others on the Assembly about the level of bus subsidy and the perceived lack of value for money they provide.

"Now these same people are asking us to provide substantial subsidy into schemes where there isn't a clear value for money benefit."