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Thames Clipper at 25: River secrets from the first captain

Sean Collins captained the boat himself when the service launched in 1999.

When Sean Collins co-founded the riverboat service Thames Clippers in 1999, people told him it would fail because the Jubilee Line had just opened running a similar route.

But Sean - a third generation waterman himself - had a hunch it would work. When they launched, Sean captained the boat himself, it had a capacity of 62, and called at three piers.

Now, 25 years later, he oversees a fleet that carries over 5 million passengers a year, calling at 24 piers, and employing over 500 people.

麻豆社 Radio London's Robert Elms has been speaking to Sean about his quest to resurrect river travel on the Thames.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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