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“NYC Ferry has proven to be more popular than we could have hoped,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Patchett.
By Forum Staff
As of Dec. 31, the City’s new ferry system, which launched last May, had served a total of approximately 2,890,000 passengers on more than 37,000 trips across all four routes currently in operation, according to final ridership numbers for the inaugural 2017 season, which were released on Thursday by the City Economic Development Corporation and Hornblower, operator of NYC Ferry.
According to EDC, based on preliminary ridership projections, NYC Ferry was anticipated to have served approximately 2.1 million riders by the end of 2017. The system sailed past that projection by 34 percent—or nearly 800,000 additional riders.
The City plans to set up two new Ferry routes later this year: Lower East Side and Soundview.
“NYC Ferry has proven to be more popular than we could have hoped, and nearly three million riders agree it’s the best way to get around the city,” said EDC President and CEO James Patchett. “Now we’re looking forward to launching two more routes in 2018, helping even more riders connect to good jobs and opportunities.”
As of Dec. 31, NYC Ferry had served approximately:
• 1,591,000 riders on the East River Route, which launched May 1; up from 1,358,000 riders on the former East River Ferry during the same time period in 2016—or a 17-percent increase in total ridership.
• 545,000 on the Rockaway Route, which launched May 1.
• 464,000 on the South Brooklyn Route, which launched June 1.
• 290,000 on the Astoria Route, which launched Aug. 29.
In response to high ridership, City EDC also announced on Thursday that it will be adding capacity to six new boats starting in 2018. These vessels will be outfitted with bigger engines and with a capacity to hold 349 passengers. Boats in the current fleet carry 149 riders.
