Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Special Report

U.S. Department of Transportation

Research and Innovative Technology Administration

February 2009

Making Connections: Intermodal Links Between Scheduled 

Passenger Ferries and Other Public Transportation Modes

by Bruce Goldberg

SR-012

Just over 40 percent of U.S. passenger ferry terminals 

offer connections to other scheduled public transportation 

modes. That makes ferries less connected than intercity 

rail, where 53 percent of stations have links with other 

modes, but more connected than airports where only 24 

percent are served by another mode.1

 Scheduled passenger ferry terminal data are the most recent to be added to 

the Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database (IPCD) 

being developed by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

(BTS). The database now includes connection information 

for 1,494 intercity rail stations, airports, and ferry terminals.

The ferry terminal inventory added to the IPCD is derived 

from data collected as part of the National Census of Ferry 

Operators, conducted by BTS in 2006. Of the 640 ferry terminals in that census, only 296 are included in the IPCD.2

 

The IPCD quantifi es connectivity at terminals in the scheduled public transportation system. Terminals served by 

ferries that primarily carry vehicles between two stretches 

of highway that are unlikely to be used by nonvehicular 

passengers, and those served only by tourist or attraction 

ferries, are not considered to be public transportation terminals for purposes of the IPCD.3

 A complete description of 

1

 BTS Special Report SR-004, with information on intermodal passenger 

connectivity at intercity rail stations and airports, entitled Making 

Connections: Intermodal Links in the Public Transportation System, can 

be found at www.bts.gov. The fi gures for intercity rail stations and airports 

used here have been updated to refl ect changes since the issuance of 

that earlier report.

2

 The National Census of Ferry Operators includes itinerant, fi xed route, 

common carrier passenger and vehicle roll-on, roll-off (Ro/Ro) ferry 

service. Railroad car fl oat operations are also included.

3

 Vehicle-carrying ferries are considered as part of the public transportation 

system for purposes of inclusion in the IPCD when they operate between 

ferry terminals where they are likely to serve individual travelers crossing the 

water without a motor vehicle. If they are unlikely to serve such travelers, 

then they effectively represent a “fl oating highway bridge” rather than the 

public transportation system for individual travel that the IPCD covers.

The other category of passenger ferry terminal not included is one served 

only by tourist or attraction ferries that are unlikely to carry individuals 

traveling for general public transportation mobility. However, if the tourist/

attraction destination is also an inhabited place of residence, and the 

residents use the ferry for nontourist related transportation, then the 

terminals are included in the IPCD.

If a ferry terminal is served by multiple types of ferry routes, as long as one 

of the routes is considered to provide individual public transportation, then 

the terminal is included in the IPCD.

Figure 1: Percent of Rail, Ferry, and Airport 

Facilities with Connectivity to Other Public 

Transportation Modes

48 contiguous 

states

Alaska/Hawaii Total U.S.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Intercity Rail

Percent

Ferries

Airports

NOTE: Forty-six of the mainland states plus the District of Columbia 

have intercity rail service; 26 states including Alaska and Hawaii have 

scheduled passenger ferry service; and all 50 states have scheduled air 

service covered by the Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database as of December 2008.
BTS Special Report

2

the criteria used for the IPCD can be found in the Technical 

Report The Background Criteria and Useage of the Intermodla Passenger Connectivity Database.

4

As with intercity rail and bus, BTS looked at connections 

for ferries in the contiguous 48 states separate from those 

in Alaska and Hawaii due to the unique geographic circumstances that exist in those two states. In the lower 48 

states, connections with other modes are available at 44 

percent of passenger ferry terminals, while in Alaska there 

are connections at 26 percent of passenger ferry terminals. 

The four ferry terminals in Hawaii are without scheduled 

public transportation connections. Figure 1 shows ferry 

terminal connectivity and comparable data for airports and 

intercity rail stations. Intercity rail stations and airports are 

the only other types of facilities for which the connectivity 

analysis has been completed at this point in time. Commuter rail stations will be added to the database during 

2009, with heavy rail and light rail transit stations added in 

2010. Intercity bus stations will be added after the completion of all rail stations.

While much of the ferry data in the IPCD comes from the 

2006 National Census of Ferry Operators (NCFO), the 

IPCD data on connections at terminals to other modes 

differs in some cases from the data in the NCFO. In 

the NCFO, ferry operators self-reported data on various 

aspects of their operations, including connections with 

other modes. However, the IPCD connection criteria were 

subsequently developed, and have been used to review 

each ferry location for its proximity to the other transportation modes. The IPCD connectivity data refl ects the results 

of that review.

Ferry Facilities

The Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database classifi es ferry terminals as being either transit or intercity. A 

transit facility is one where the majority of departures are 

to locations within the same city or metropolitan area as 

the facility; an intercity facility is one where the majority 

of departures are to locations outside of the metropolitan 

area. This categorization is consistent with the treatment of 

the other modes within the IPCD. However, it differs from 

the National Census of Ferry Operators, where ferries are 

classifi ed as intrastate, interstate, or international. See box 

A for some examples of intercity and transit ferries as used 

in the IPCD.

Of the 296 ferry facilities, 189 are transit ferry facilities, 

and all but 2 of these transit facilities are located on the 

U.S. mainland. The other two are in Alaska. There are 

107 intercity facilities, with 67 of those facilities on the U.S. 

mainland, 36 in Alaska, and 4 in Hawaii.

There is little difference in the percentages of transit and intercity ferry facilities with connectivity to other public trans4

 The Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database, and all related 

reports, can be found at www.bts.gov.

portation modes. There are connections to at least one 

other scheduled public transportation mode at 43 percent of 

the transit ferry terminals and 36 percent of the intercity terminals. Transit ferry terminals are more likely than intercity 

ferry terminals to be served by at least two modes in addition to the ferry. Ten percent of transit ferry terminals are 

served by at least two other modes, but for intercity ferry 

terminals that fi gure is only about 3 percent. Table 1 shows 

the extent of connectivity for each type of terminal.

Number of Connecting Modes

Among the 296 scheduled passenger ferry facilities, 59 percent (175 facilities) do not have direct connections to other 

modes. One-third (99 facilities) are served by 1 other mode 

besides ferry, 20 are served by 2 other modes, and there 

are 2 facilities that are served by 3 other modes. Table 2 

lists the 22 specifi c ferry facilities served by 2 or more other 

modes. Boston Logan Airport and the Hoboken, NJ, Terminal are the only ferry facilities served by three other modes. 

Of the facilities served by multiple connecting modes, 16 

are located in the northeast section of the United States 

where there is generally more widespread public transportation service than in most other parts of the country. 

Box A: Ferry Classifi cations

Transit ferries are those that operate within a single 

metropolitan or micropolitan urbanized area whether 

within a single state or across state lines. Some examples of transit ferries are the ferries that run between 

San Francisco and Oakland, CA, the ferries between 

New York City and points across the Hudson River in 

New Jersey, and the ferry linking Moline, IL and Davenport, IA. Some of these ferries are classifi ed as interstate and some intrastate within the National Census of 

Ferry Operators.

Intercity ferries are those that travel between points not 

located in the same urbanized area. The Alaska Marine 

Highway System ferries operate intercity service within 

Alaska and to the State of Washington. Other examples 

of intercity ferries are those that operate between Fort 

Myers and Key West, FL; Long Beach and Catalina 

Island, CA; and Orient Point, NY to New London, CT, 

to name a few.

The commuter and intercity ferry defi nitions used for 

ferry terminals are consistent with the classifi cation of 

service used to describe other modes in the Intermodal 

Passenger Connectivity Database. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

January 2009.
BTS Special Report

3

Table 1: Connections Available by Terminal Type

Intercity ferry terminals Transit ferry terminals All terminals

Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent

Lower 48 State terminals 67 100.0 187 100.0 254 100.0

 No connections 36 53.7 107 57.2 143 56.3

 Connect with 1 other mode 28 41.8 63 33.7 91 35.8

 Connect with 2 or more modes 3 4.5 17 9.1 20 7.9

Alaska terminals 36 100.0 2 100.0 38 100.0

 No connections 28 77.8 0 0.0 28 73.7

 Connect with 1 other mode 8 22.2 0 0.0 8 21.1

 Connect with 2 or more modes 0 0.0 2 100.0 2 5.3

Hawaii terminals 4 100.0 0 — 4 100.0

 No connections 4 100.0 0 — 4 100.0

 Connect with 1 other mode 0 0.0 0 — 0 0.0

 Connect with 2 or more modes 0 0.0 0 — 0 0.0

Total 107 100.0 189 100.0 296 100.0

 No connections 68 63.6 107 56.6 175 59.1

 Connect with 1 other mode 36 33.6 63 33.3 99 33.4

 Connect with 2 or more modes 3 2.8 19 10.1 22 7.4

NOTE: Percent totals may not add up due to rounding.

SOURCE: Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database, U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics as of December 2008.

Table 2: Ferry Terminals Served by Two or More Other Modes

Terminal City State

Number of connecting 

modes in addition to ferry Bus Rail network Transit rail Air

Ketchikan Airport Ketchikan AK 2 ● ●

Airport Ferry Terminal Ketchikan AK 2 ● ●

Ferry Terminal (Ferry St.) New London CT 2 ● ●

Ferry Terminal (State St.) New London CT 2 ● ●

Madison Street Dock Chicago IL 2 ● ●

Canal Street Ferry Terminal New Orleans LA 2 ● ●

Long Wharf Boston MA 2 ● ●

Logan Airport Boston MA 3 ● ●●

Hoboken Terminal Hoboken NJ 3 ●● ●

Newport Ferry Terminal Jersey City NJ 2 ● ●

Lincoln Harbor Weehawken NJ 2 ● ●

Port Imperial Weehawken NJ 2 ● ●

Federal Street Camden NJ 2 ● ●

Ferry Terminal Greenport NY 2 ● ●

Whitehall Terminal New York NY 2 ● ●

Battery Park New York NY 2 ● ●

Battery Maritime Bldg. New York NY 2 ● ●

St. George Ferry Terminal New York NY 2 ● ●

Ossining Ferry Terminal Ossining NY 2 ● ●

Ferry Terminal Yonkers NY 2 ● ●

Ferry Terminal Edmonds WA 2 ● ●

Alaska Ferry Terminal Bellingham WA 2 ● ●

NOTE: The Ketchikan Airport Ferry operates between the Airport on Gravina Island and the Airport Ferry Terminal in Ketchikan. Since this 

operation is similar to intra-airport shuttle bus systems, both docks are considered to be part of the airport, and thus both are considered to be 

served by the airplanes (Ketchikan Airport) and the transit buses (Airport Ferry Terminal). For a more detailed explanation, see the Technical Report 

on Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database criteria, being issued in February 2009. 

SOURCE: Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database, U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics as of December 2008.
BTS Special Report

4

Connecting Transportation Modes

Transit bus is the most frequently available connecting 

mode at the 296 ferry facilities included in the IPCD. There 

are 108 locations where ferry passengers can make connections with transit buses. When all 296 ferry facilities 

are considered, only 36 percent of all ferry facilities have 

transit bus connections. However, only 156 of the 296 

ferry facilities are in cities or towns with transit bus service. 

Therefore, transit bus actually serves 69 percent of all ferry 

facilities in cities where transit bus service is provided. In 

addition to the 108 ferry facilities served by transit bus, another 22 have transit bus service within one or two blocks, 

which the Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database 

classifi es as a “near connection.” Therefore, transit bus is 

available at or near 83 percent of the ferry facilities in localities where transit bus service is provided.

Ferries connect with the other ground transportation modes 

in far fewer locations than they connect with transit bus. 

This is partly because other modes serve far fewer ferry cities than transit bus. Intercity buses and code-share buses 

serve a combined total of 22 ferry facilities.5

 The standard 

rail network (intercity and commuter rail) and the rail transit 

network (subway and light rail) connect with ferries at 11 

and 12 locations, respectively. Table 3 shows the number of 

passenger ferry terminals with connections to each of the 

other scheduled passenger travel modes.

5

 Code share buses are those operated specifi cally for the purpose 

of carrying passengers to connect with another mode. Examples are 

“Amtrak Thruway” buses operated to carry passengers from nonrail cities 

to connect with Amtrak trains, and shuttle buses operated to carry ferry 

passengers from the dock to locations in nearby towns. 

Metropolitan Areas

Over two-thirds (69 percent) of the scheduled passenger 

ferry terminals are located in urbanized areas. Of the 204 

terminals in urbanized areas, 175 are located in metropolitan areas and 29 are located in micropolitan areas.6

 

The remaining 92 ferry facilities are in locations outside of 

urbanized areas.

Connectivity is much more likely to occur at metropolitan 

area ferry facilities than at the facilities in either micropolitan areas or at those outside of urbanized areas. Half of 

the facilities in metropolitan areas (87 of 175) are served by 

other modes. Transit bus is the most prevalent connecting 

mode, serving 84 of the 87 metropolitan area facilities. 

Eight of the 29 micropolitan area facilities (28 percent) have 

at least 1 intermodal link, and again the most prevalent 

mode is the transit bus serving 7 of those 8 facilities. Even 

in nonurbanized areas, where 26 of 92 facilities (28 percent) are served by another mode, transit bus is the most 

common connection serving 17 of those locations. 

Table 4 shows the availability of connections by type of 

area, and data on the number of connecting modes. This 

table is broken down for the lower 48 states, Hawaii/Alaska, 

and a U.S. total.

Airport Ferry Terminals

There are seven ferry terminals where passengers can 

connect with air service. Six are in Alaska, including the 

6

 A metropolitan area contains a core urban area of 50,000 or more 

population, and a micropolitan area contains an urban core of at least 

10,000, but less than 50,000, population.

Table 3: Service by Connecting Modes at Passenger Ferry Facilities

Transit 

bus

Intercity 

bus

Rail 

network

Transit 

rail Air

Total U.S. passenger transportation ferry facilities 296 296 296 296 296

Ferry facilities served by mode 108 7 11 12 8

Total ferry facilities in cities served by mode 156 79 59 47 104

Ferry facilities not served by mode 48 72 48 35 96

Percent of ferry facilities served in cities served by the connecting mode 69% 9% 19% 26% 8%

Percent of all 296 U.S. passenger transportation ferry facilities served 36% 2% 4% 4% 3%

“Near connections” between mode and ferry facilities 223590

Total ferry facilties served directly or via “near connections” 130 10 16 21 8

Percent of ferry facilities in cities served by this mode with connection or 

“near connection” 83% 13% 27% 45% 8%

NOTES: “Near connections” are defi ned as locations where the stop for the other mode is nearby (1-2 blocks away) but not adjacent to the ferry terminal. Rail Network refers to stations on the national rail system that are served by either intercity rail (Amtrak and Alaska Railroad) or commuter rail. 

Transit Rail refers to metropolitan subway or light rail systems.

SOURCE: Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database, U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics as of December 2008.
BTS Special Report

5

two ferry terminals that serve the Ketchikan International 

Airport. At Ketchikan Airport, located on Gravina Island, 

a municipally operated airport ferry system shuttles passengers across the Tongass Narrows between the airport 

ferry dock in town and the airport terminal. At the other four 

locations in Alaska,7 air service is provided by seaplanes 

that operate from a dock offering connectivity with the ferry 

service at that location. The only airline airport outside of 

Alaska served by ferry is Boston Logan Airport. At Logan, 

the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) 

Harbor Express ferry operating between Boston’s Long 

Wharf and Quincy serves the airport pier. The pier is linked 

to the terminals by an airport operated shuttle.8

The Database

The Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database was 

developed to provide an inventory of intermodal passenger 

7

 Akutan, Angoon, Pelican, and Tenakee Springs.

8

 Although the pier is physically separated from the airport terminal, 

service to the pier is considered service to the airport since the pier is 

linked to the airline terminals by an airport operated shuttle bus. See the 

technical report on the Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database that 

will be issued in February 2009 for a discussion of the criteria used to 

determine connectivity.

facilities to use as a baseline for measuring the degree of 

connectivity in the passenger transportation system, and 

for measuring future progress toward greater connectivity. 

This database is specifi cally responsive to the BTS congressional mandate to include information on the location 

and connectivity of transportation facilities and services in 

an intermodal transportation database.9 These data allow 

detailed analysis of the degree to which the various modes 

connect, and thus can serve as a way to measure the connectivity offered by the passenger transportation system.

In addition to intercity rail, airline airports, and ferry terminals that are already in the database, fi xed guideway 

transit (heavy rail, light rail, and commuter rail) and intercity 

bus are still to be added. When completed, the database 

will cover approximately 6,500 terminal facilities in the 50 

states and the District of Columbia.

The next mode to be added to the database, and the next 

report in this series, will cover commuter rail stations.

9

 49 U.S.C.(d)(3)( c )

Table 4: Ferry Terminal Connectivity by Area Type

Number of ferry terminals by number of 

connecting modes

Ferry terminals

Ferry terminals 

w/connectivity

Percent of 

terminals w/

connectivity

1 other 

mode

2 other 

modes 3 other modes

Lower 48 States terminals, total 254 111 43.7 91 18 2

Urbanized areas, total 196 92 46.9 72 18 2

 Metropolitan areas 175 87 49.7 67 18 2

 Micropolitan areas 21 5 23.8 5 0 0

Nonurbanized areas 58 19 32.8 19 0 0

Alaska terminals, total 38 10 26.3 8 2 0

Urbanized area, total 6 3 50.0 1 2 0

 Metropolitan areas 0 0 0.0 0 0 0

 Micropolitan areas 6 3 50.0 1 2 0

Nonurbanized areas 32 7 21.9 7 0 0

Hawaii terminals, total 4 0 0.0 0 0 0

Urbanized area, total 2 0 0.0 0 0 0

 Metropolitan areas 0 0 0.0 0 0 0

 Micropolitan areas 2 0 0.0 0 0 0

Nonurbanized areas 2 0 0.0 0 0 0

All terminals, total 296 121 40.9 99 20 2

Urbanized area, total 204 95 46.6 73 20 2

 Metropolitan areas 175 87 49.7 67 18 2

 Micropolitan areas 29 8 27.6 6 2 0

Nonurbanized areas 92 26 28.3 26 0 0

NOTE: A metropolitan area contains a core urban area of 50,000 or more population, and a micropolitan area contains an urban core of at least 10,000, but 

less than 50,000 population.

SOURCE: Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database, U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics as of December 2008.
BTS Special Report

6

About this report For related BTS data and publications: www.bts.gov

This report was prepared by Bruce Goldberg, Transportation Specialist, in the Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics (BTS). BTS is a component of the Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration.

This Special Report highlights data from the second 

phase of the BTS Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database that is being developed as a nationwide census of passenger terminals and intermodal 

services provided at those terminals. It presents 

fi ndings on the degree of connectivity offered by 

ferry services and does some comparison with the 

data for intercity rail and airports that was presented 

in Special Report SR-004, issued in September 

2007.

For questions about this or other BTS reports, call 

1-800-853-1351, email answers@bts.gov or visit 

www.bts.gov.

Data –

• Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database

• National Census of Ferry Operators

• National Transportation Atlas Database: Intermodal 

Terminal Facilities—the freight counterpart to the 

Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database.

Publications –

• Making Connections: Intermodal Links in the Public 

Transportation System, Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics, Special Report SR-004, September 2007.

• Technical Report: The Background, Criteria, and 

Usage of the Intermodal Passenger Connectivity

Database, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

February 2009.