NY celebrates commuter ferry ‘success story’

NEW YORK: In a city beset by transport woes, the ferry from Brooklyn and Queens to Manhattan is a New York success story, pleasing commuters, delighting tourists and outperforming expectations on its first anniversary.

On a swelteringly hot May afternoon, businessmen, school children, families and tourists queue down the pier, waiting to board a boat for the East River with an impressive view of the New York skyline.

At only $2.75 per head, with an onboard bar, it´s the same price as a sweaty, frequently delayed and often dirty subway ride, a bargain gratefully snapped up by those living close enough to the water to enjoy it.

“It´s been a lot easier to commute,” admits Vivian, a 32-year-old designer from Long Island City, who doesn´t want to give her last name. “Of course there are times when it gets pretty full, but it is pretty consistent.” “It´s a lot less stressful than the subway,” agrees Emily Lynch, 22, a recent New York arrival. “There´s not as many crazy people on the ferries.” While the city´s 8.5 million residents are increasingly fed up with chronic subway delays, complaints about the ferry focus on their popularity: long queues at peak times and services that some want more frequent than once every 25 minutes during the week and once an hour at weekends.

In a US financial capital infamous for its high prices, tourists are also fond of the ferries and the chance to take in the magnificent Manhattan skyline, with trips recommended in guide books for the thrift-conscious.

Ridership reflects such enthusiasm. City hall recorded 3.7 million passengers in the first year. Two new routes plan to take in the Bronx and the Lower East Side by the end of the summer, raising the total number to six.

City officials now predict that ridership could reach nine million by 2023, nearly double initial estimates.

Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio has set aside $300 million over the next five years for new 350-passenger capacity ferries, improvements to piers and docks, and a second homeport where ferries will be maintained.

“New Yorkers have spoken. We are going to need bigger boats. We´re gearing up to meet the extraordinary demand,” he said Thursday.