First City-Wide Ferry System Planned To Hit New York Waterways In 2017
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a new city-wide ferry system, set to launch along New York's waterways in 2017.
The new system will provide service at 21 landings across six different routes and will integrate existing service from the East River Ferry system, according to a Wednesday release from the de Blasio administration. The Citywide Ferry service is expected to accommodate around 4.6 million passengers. The fee will cost the same as a standard MetroCard swipe, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported.
"It's going to be a commute like no other: fresh air, harbor views and a fast ride on the open water," de Blasio said in a statement.
Routes in Astoria, South Brooklyn and Far Rockaway are expected to launch in 2017, with additional routes in Soundview and the Lower East Side expected to launch in 2018. Routes from Coney Island and Stapleton, in Staten Island, are also under consideration.
"So many people look and see jobs here in Manhattan but they're hard to access on many levels and it creates barriers for people who want those job interviews and city wide ferry service will help change that," de Blasio said, CBS2's Steve Langford reported.
The ferry fleet will be operated by New York City-based Hornblower, Inc. -- a private company with locations in Midtown and nearby South Street Seaport. Hornblower will be providing 18 new Wi-fi equipped ships to make up the new Citywide fleet. The ships will be able to accommodate around 149 people per trip.
"I think it's a great idea save a lot of time with the subway the bus and the driving," Mike Rubinate, a Bay Ridge resident, told CBS2.
"Just the ability to kind of get from Bay Ridge wherever you want to via ferry I think it would probably attract a lot of people to the area too," Craig Wilkinson, another Bay Ridge resident, said.
The city plans to invest around $55 million for construction and upgrades for ferry landing sites, as well as an additional $30 million per year in operating cost funding through the first six years of the project. According to the de Blasio administration, the new ferry system will also provide at least 155 new jobs.
The ferry system will be the first of its kind for New York City.
