For 15 years Capt. Johan Schild lived in St. Tammany Parish, and like many residents he was forced to commute across the lake regularly for work.

He said that commute, with fog, traffic and period accidents, was not always enjoyable.

The approximate 60 miles of driving per workday is not thought of as a pleasurable or relaxing experience,” Schild wrote in his presentation given to the Mandeville City Council Thursday night.

If the ferry service becomes a success, Capt. John Schild plans to build one or two more ferries, which will look the one in this artist rendering.

Schild thinks he has found a solution for the increasing number of people who have to travel The World Longest Bridge daily – swift ferries.

There are no such ferries in the Gulf Coast region, but commuters in California and the Northeast regularly use them.

“Mandeville would be the first city in South to have fast ferries that they have elsewhere in nation,” he told the council.

Schild is proposing to start out with one ferry, which will dock near Sunset Point on the Northshore and in the West End Canal on the Southshore.

The ferry he currently has an option to buy can handle 149 passengers each crossing. This includes 15 seats on the executive level.

The executive level seats are located just behind the pilothouse on the upper deck. This area includes a small concession and private bathroom as well as free coffee and newspapers and a topside view.

Passengers would be able to purchase tickets for the ferry rides on a daily, weekly, monthly or per trip basis.

Schild is also proposing a bus shuttle service, bringing passengers to the docks on both sides of the lake.

He is currently looking at running bus routes to Abita Springs on Louisiana Highway 59, to Covington U.S. Highway 190 and to Covington on Louisiana Highway 22.

On the Southshore, he is looking into buses to take passengers to the central business district, Loyola, Tulane and to Ocshner Hospital.

For those not on a main bus route, parking lots will be available near the docks on either side and the buses will make stops at area park and ride facilities.

He thinks many commuters will be in favor of leaving their cars behind and transversing Lake Pontchartrain aboard state-of-the-art ferries.

But, he wants to make sure his hypothesis is right before he sinks too much money into the deal.

Prior to purchasing his first ferry, Schild wants to make sure this is an idea the local community will embrace.

He wants as many people as possible to fill out his survey, which can be found on the Pontchartrain Express Web site at www.swiftferries.com.

He will use this information he gathers from the surveys to make a presentation before the council again in two weeks as to what his plans are.

If the responses come back favorably, he hopes to have his first boat operational by spring. If that ferry is successful, he will have one or two more ferries built to the specifications he has already designed. Those ferries will be built in the local area and will also be state-of-the-art catamaran/hydrofoil hybrids.

The ferries will be equipped with the latest navigation instruments and safety equipment, enabling them to run on schedule during adverse weather conditions.

He said all of his captains would be firefighter certified, diving certified and trained in CPR and first aid. Because of this, they will not only be able to assist the passengers on the ferries, they will also serve as a backup assistance for people on the Causeway.

A trip from the Northshore to the Southshore would take approximately 40 minutes, during which passengers, who would normally be spending this time focused on the road, can unwind from their day with a cup of coffee, read the newspaper or a book, watch television or work on their laptops.

During the week, the ferry with have set departure and arrival times, and on the weekends it will make one run to the Southshore in the morning and will come back to the Northshore in the evening.

In between that time, the ferry will be used to conduct bayou cruises. During special events, like Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest, the number of trips across the lake can be increased to accommodate the large crowds headed to the Southshore.

Schild said the energy saved and the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions as a result of commuters using the Pontchartrain Express is expected to be substantial.