Transport for London is set to take over the operation of the Woolwich Ferry, promising better reliability and customer service after a year of delays, cancellations and strikes.

Sadiq Khan has asked TfL to review its options ahead of the expiry of the current contract with a mind to take the service back in-house later this year.

The Woolwich Ferry has been plagued by technical faults and worker disputes since the start of 2019, and as of November, the running time lost to delays was equivalent to an entire month in hours.

Speaking with LBC in November, the Mayor of London admitted "dropping the ball with this" after £20m spent on new ferries backfired, causing a series of technical faults.

Workers on the Woolwich Ferry have also been trapped in what they dubbed "an employment horror show" with the current contractors, Briggs Marine.

Unite workers argue the company is failing pay the London living wage, which it claims it does, as well as issues with unfair shift working and failure to properly deal with equality issues.

Making the announcement, Sadiq Khan said he "shared passengers' frustration at the unacceptable closures they have faced over the past year."

"I am delighted that TfL is set to take over the contract – bringing a renewed focus on Londoners’ needs including better reliability and customer service.”

TfL confirmed its intention to take over the operation and maintenance of the Woolwich Ferry when the current contract expires on March 31, 2020.

After investigating, the capital's transport body concluded that taking the operation and maintenance in-house would ensure a higher level of control, and by using its experience and resources from across the organisation it would improve the customer experience.

Jonathan Fox, director of rail & sponsored services at TfL, said: “Taking the operation of the Woolwich Ferry in-house will increase the focus on its performance, ultimately delivering an improved experience for our customers.

"We would like to thank Briggs Marine for running this operation over the years, and particularly for supporting us through the upcoming transition period.”

Local London Assembly Member, Len Duvall AM, welcomed the announcement and said it should bring some "much-needed stability to the service."

“After local people have been let down by consistent closures and disruption over the last year, the decision put the Woolwich Ferry in the hands of TfL should lead to a renewed focus being placed upon improving customer service standards and reliability”.