page_title: NYC Ferry
hierarchical_section_title: NYC Ferry
caption_attribution_description: English: NYC Ferry Lunch Box below the Brooklyn Bridge, May 2017.
context_page_description: NYC Ferry is a network of ferry routes in New York City operated by Hornblower Cruises. As of August 2018, there are six routes connecting 21 ferry piers in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. NYC Ferry has a total of 31 vessels, providing half-hourly to hourly service on each of the routes. As of May 2019, two additional routes and five new piers are planned; the expansion would extend the system to Staten Island, the only New York City borough not served by NYC Ferry.
  Prior to NYC Ferry, there had been many ferries that traversed the East River and Hudson River, although by the 1960s, almost all ferry services citywide had been discontinued due to the popularity of road and rail transit across the rivers. Ferries in New York City saw a revival in the 1980s and 1990s. As a result of two studies in 2011 and 2013 that showed the effects of these recent ferries, the city officially proposed its own ferry service in 2013, separate from existing New York City ferry systems such as NY Waterway, New York Water Taxi, and the Staten Island Ferry.
context_section_description: NYC Ferry is a network of ferry routes in New York City operated by Hornblower Cruises. As of August 2018, there are six routes connecting 21 ferry piers in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. NYC Ferry has a total of 31 vessels, providing half-hourly to hourly service on each of the routes. As of May 2019, two additional routes and five new piers are planned; the expansion would extend the system to Staten Island, the only New York City borough not served by NYC Ferry.
  Prior to NYC Ferry, there had been many ferries that traversed the East River and Hudson River, although by the 1960s, almost all ferry services citywide had been discontinued due to the popularity of road and rail transit across the rivers. Ferries in New York City saw a revival in the 1980s and 1990s. As a result of two studies in 2011 and 2013 that showed the effects of these recent ferries, the city officially proposed its own ferry service in 2013, separate from existing New York City ferry systems such as NY Waterway, New York Water Taxi, and the Staten Island Ferry.
  NYC Ferry was officially announced by the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2015, under the tentative name of Citywide Ferry Service. It was planned to launch in two phases. The first phase launched on May 1, 2017, with service along the East River and to the Rockaways. Routes to Bay Ridge and Astoria respectively started in June and August of that year. A second phase, in August 2018, launched to the Lower East Side and Soundview. Ferries to St. George, Staten Island and to Coney Island, are proposed to launch in 2021. Single-ride trips on the system cost $2.75, with monthly and bike fares also available, but there is no free transfer to other modes of transport in the city. NYC Ferry also provides free shuttle buses, connecting to ferry stops in the Rockaways and Midtown Manhattan.
  The ferry service was originally expected to transport 4.5 to 4.6 million passengers annually. Higher-than-expected ridership on NYC Ferry routes in summer 2017 caused officials to order new vessels and expand the capacity of existing vessels. In spring 2018, the annual ridership estimates were revised to 9 million, double the original projection, and a further expansion of the NYC Ferry fleet was announced. Despite its crowding, the ferry has generally received positive reviews from passengers.  However, there has been criticism over the highly subsidized nature of the service, and NYC Ferry's low ridership compared to the city's other public transit modes.
caption: Ferry Lunch Box underway, May 2017.
exif: {}