SYDNEY'S ferry services will be run by a private operator within months after the government granted the contract this week to a joint bid by two large multinational companies.

The Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, will announce today Harbour City Ferries, a consortium of Transfield Services and Veolia Transdev, has won the right to operate Sydney's ferry system over competing bids from the detention centre operator Serco, Transit Systems and Forgacs Engineering.

Little change ... Harbour City will run ferry services by late July or August. Most staff have agreed to keep working for the new operator. Credit:Ben Rushton

Harbour City will run the services by late July or August, almost six months before the government's previous timetable of the end of the year.

Commuters can expect little change, initially at least. Most existing staff have agreed to keep working for the new operator, which will also retain the colours of the existing fleet, and assume the Sydney Ferries name.