Tillett was fully subsidized until 1950 when his business was sold to the state. In 1947, the commission purchased the ferry operation of T.A. Baum, who operated a route that ran across Croatan Sound and linked Manns Harbor and Roanoke Island. This became the first route of the N.C. Ferry System. Today, the N.C. Department of Transportation's Ferry Division extends over seven routes, has 21 ferries and employs over 475 workers. Each year, North Carolina ferries transport over 900,000 vehicles and more than 2.5 million passengers across five separate bodies of water - the Currituck and Pamlico sounds and the Cape Fear, Neuse and Pamlico rivers.
Ferries also carry essential goods to water-locked communities.
Many residents depend on the ferries for transportation to school, work, and other needed services.