North West Arm Ferry will use a 22-foot pontoon boat to carry people and bikes from the Dingle to the peninsula

Frustrated commuters will soon have a new way to get around the CN bridge closure on Quinpool Road, as long as they're willing to ditch their cars.

David Backman hopes to launch a new passenger ferry service across the Northwest Arm early next week.

North West Arm Ferry will use a 22-foot pontoon boat to carry people and bikes back and forth between a floating dock at the north side of Sir Sandford Fleming Park and Jubilee Drive.

"Space for bikes will be limited so we definitely recommend getting in touch with us in advance, maybe purchasing a weekly pass to reserve a seat and space for your bike," Backman told NEWS 95.7's The Sheldon MacLeod Show.

He's still working on the schedule but says to expect service to run every 15 or 20 minutes from around 6:15 a.m. to 10 a.m., then again from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"If the demand is there, we may look at just remaining open throughout the day to get people back and forth," he said. "There has been a lot of interest from the community in having that ferry open all day long."

The ferry is a private venture, so it's not run by Halifax Regional Municipality.

The service will cost each passenger $4 per crossing.

"We wanted to ensure we kept our rates as low as possible. This isn't so much about a money-making venture as it is about providing alternative transportation onto the peninsula," he explained.

"We're not expecting to make a lot off of that. We're really doing this as a form of goodwill to the community, and it's a good advertisement for our other ventures."

Backman also runs North West Arm Boat Tours, which uses a former lobster boat, and now a zodiac, to run tours up and down the Northwest Arm and over to McNabs Island.

The North West Arm Ferry website is still a work in progress, so those interested are asked to head to the company's Facebook page to watch for an official schedule, get updates and contact the company.

Backman hopes to start the service by Monday or Tuesday of next week.