NYC Ferry could get direct service from Bronx to Rockaways

The city is proposing new routes to the NYC Ferry system, including direct service from the Bronx to the Rockaways.

The city’s Economic Development Corporation — which oversees NYC Ferry — is also proposing route changes that include connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn through the St. George route, splitting the East River into two different routes and offering a one-seat ride to Midtown Manhattan from South Brooklyn.

“For the first time since our launch in 2017, NYC Ferry is taking a fresh, holistic look across the system and proposing a comprehensive reconfiguration of routes to improve rider experience, fix known issues, and ensure NYC Ferry is a mainstay on our waterways for years to come,” James Wong, the executive director of NYC Ferry, said in a statement.

The EDC proposal will go through a public comment period over the summer, with final route changes announced in September. The EDC plans to fully implement the new routes into service by the end of the year.

To travel to the Rockaways, Bronx ferry riders get on the route from either Throggs Neck or Soundview, stopping along the East Side of Manhattan and ending at Wall Street’s Pier 11. Riders then have to switch onto a separate ferry that takes them to the Queen’s Peninsula.

The new route from the Bronx to the Rockaways would be approximately 33.5 miles long and would take about two hours of total travel time.

The EDC said the connection would save ferry riders 30 minutes. The updated route could benefit some of the city’s “super commuters” who spend hours on the train to get to work between boroughs, with direct ferry routes to Manhattan and the Bronx.

“The 90th St. [stop], my mother-in-law lives up there. My wife works and my daughter goes to school on the Upper East Side on 83rd Street. So I could see them taking it on a more regular basis, especially my mother-in-law coming out to visit us,” 43-year-old Rockaway resident Patrick Minson said.

He also said taking a direct ferry to Manhattan or even the Bronx could be fun for recreational activities over the weekend with his family, especially if he can avoid paying the congestion pricing toll with a car ride.

The NYC system hit a yearly ridership record last year, running 7.4 million million rides.

The service first launched in 2017 but faced criticism from city government officials for the high subsidies it requires taxpayers to cover. The EDC also said NYC Ferry has the lowest per-passenger subsidy of any publicly funded ferry system in the country. 

NYC Ferry Deputy Director Franny Civitano countered the criticism of the subsidies to Gothamist last year, saying they dropped 30% since their peak in 2020.

A one-way ticket to ride the NYC Ferry costs $4.50. The service previously cost New Yorkers $2.75, but was increased by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022 to help increase funds for the transportation option.

Officials at the EDC said the growing ridership prompted them to make necessary changes to improve service options.

This article has been updated to include further statements from the EDC.