DORSET County Council is floating the idea of a waterborne transport system for the Jurassic Coast.

The authority is set to be involved in a £2.8million bid to the Coastal Communities Fund for a commuter and tourist waterborne passenger transport service.

The focus of the project will be a service connecting Bournemouth, Poole, Studland and Swanage and a hopper service between West Bay and Exmouth in Devon.

A report considered by Dorset County Council’s cabinet revealed that journeys on coastal roads in Dorset and East Devon had risen by up to 34 per cent in the last 11 years and the possibility of a waterborne alternative form of transport had long been considered.

Deputy director for environment Mike Harries said: “It has been a long held aspiration to develop waterborne transport along the Dorset and East Devon coast.”

Cabinet member for highways and transport Peter Finney added: “It is something we should pursue, it’s been an ambition for some time to get some commuter and leisure transport in that area and I think it’s worthwhile if we get it off the ground.”

Cabinet member for children’s services Toni Coombs said she welcomed the proposal as it would offer increased opportunities for youngsters from Swanage to travel to Poole and Bournemouth for education.

If the bid is successful it will receive funding for two years from January 2013 to run the scheme and develop necessary infrastructure.