The East River Ferry Is Extended To 2019, Getting More Expensive
Some good news and some slightly-less-good news about the city’s best commute boat: the life of the East River Ferry has been extended past its initial June 2014 cutoff, and will continue until at least 2019. Since launching in 2011, the boats have seen their ridership triple.
The cost of weekend rides will go up, however—it’ll be $6 instead of $4—and winter weekend hours are set to be cut down as well. Still, any commute ferry is a lot better than no commute ferry at all. “The city, since the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, refused to subsidize ferry service, said the CEO of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. “We crossed the line with the first pilot and it was great. And now this is a recognition of the utility of waterborne transit.” So, other than the price hike, yes to all of this. The more “waterborne transit” options we have, the better.
Follow Virginia K. Smith on Twitter @vksmith.