NYC Ferry

Early ferries

Up until the 19th century, during a time when the city's waterways did not have bridge or tunnel crossings, there were many ferries traversing the area.^[1] New York's first ferries date to when the city was a Dutch colony named New Amsterdam, which comprises modern-day Lower Manhattan. A ferry across the East River, between New Amsterdam and modern-day Brooklyn, was created in 1642 by Cornelius Dircksen,^[2] who was reportedly "the earliest ferryman of whom the records speak."^[3] By 1654, New Amsterdam's government passed ordinances to regulate East River ferries.^[4] The first ferry to New Jersey was founded in 1661, traveling across the Hudson River from Manhattan to Communipaw (now part of Jersey City).^[5] Ferries along the Harlem River, between uptown Manhattan and the Bronx, started in 1667, and a ferry to Staten Island was started in 1712.^[6]:38 The number of ferries would grow, and by 1904, there would be 147 ferry services operating in New York City waters.^[7]

One of the first documented horse-powered "team" boats in commercial service in the United States was the Fulton Ferry Company, an East River ferry run that Robert Fulton implemented in 1814.^[8] The South Ferry Company, founded in 1836, merged with the Fulton Ferry Company three years later, and the combined companies underwent a series of acquisitions, eventually owning many of the East River ferries.^[9] However, by 1918, the construction of bridges and New York City Subway tunnels across the East River resulted in some companies, such as the New York and East River Ferry Company between Yorkville and Astoria, operating at a loss.^[10] Even with city ownership, many of the East River ferries were superseded by bridges, road tunnels, and subway tunnels by the mid-20th century. The Yorkville–Astoria ferry, for instance, stopped in 1936 after being replaced by the Triborough Bridge.^[11]

On the other side of Manhattan, there were a myriad of Hudson River ferries at one point, with boat routes running from New Jersey to twenty passenger docks in Manhattan.^[5] However, the construction of the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, Hudson & Manhattan Railroad, and George Washington Bridge between Manhattan and New Jersey, as well as the growth of car ownership in the United States, meant that these ferries were no longer needed by the mid-20th century. As a result, in 1967, the last cross-Hudson ferry (between Hoboken and Battery Park City) ceased operations.^[5][7]

The Richmond Turnpike Company started a steamboat service from Manhattan to Staten Island in 1817. Cornelius Vanderbilt bought the company in 1838, and it was sold to the Staten Island Railroad Company in 1864. The Staten Island Ferry was then sold to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1884, and the City of New York assumed control of the ferry in 1905.^[6]:172 The ferry, which still operates, was at one point the only commuter ferry within the entire city, after the discontinuation of the Hoboken ferry in 1967.^[5]

Despite the discontinuation of ferry service to New Jersey, people moved to locations along the Hudson River waterfront there. In 1986, waterfront settlements like Bayonne, Highlands, Keyport, Port Liberte, and Weehawken saw a reinstatement of their ferry service to Manhattan, under the operation of NY Waterway.^[5] By 1989, around 3,000 of the settlements' combined 10,500 residents paid a $5.00 fare in each direction to board the NY Waterway ferries, despite competition from cheaper alternatives like the PATH train system.^[5] Around this time, there were plans to create ferry routes between Inwood and Atlantic City; South Amboy and Wall Street; and from the city proper to New Jersey, Connecticut, and Westchester.^[5]

Revival of ferries

In early 2011, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), and the NYC & Company water travel initiative NYHarborWay, worked with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) to release a Comprehensive Citywide Ferry Study, in which it examined over 40 potential locations for a ferry system in New York City.^[12]:1 The study was commissioned in order to examine transport alternatives for neighborhoods along New York City's shores.^{[12]:1, 23–47} It also discussed the East River Ferry, which was set to enter service later that year.^{[12]:1, 103–111, 130–133, 165} The study identified potential ferry routes to western Manhattan and Riverdale; eastern Manhattan, the South Bronx, and Co-op City; the northern Brooklyn and Queens shorelines; the South Shore of Staten Island; and southwestern Brooklyn, southern Brooklyn, and the Rockaways.^[12]:9–14

NYC Ferry's East River line in its former NY Waterway livery

In June 2011, the NY Waterway-operated East River Ferry line started operations.^[13] The route was a 7-stop East River service that runs in a loop between East 34th Street and Hunters Point, making two intermediate stops in Brooklyn and three in Queens. The ferry, an alternative to the New York City Subway, cost $4 per one-way ticket.^[13] It was instantly popular, with two to six times the number of passengers that the city predicted would ride the ferries. From June to November 2011, the ferry accommodated 2,862 riders on an average weekday, as opposed to a projection of 1,488 riders, and it had 4,500 riders on an average weekend, six times the city's projected ridership; in total, the ferry saw 350,000 riders in that period, over 250% of the initial ridership forecast of 134,000 riders.^[14]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012, massive infrastructural damage to the IND Rockaway Line (A train) south of the Howard Beach–JFK Airport station severed all direct subway connections between the Rockaways, Broad Channel, and the Queens mainland for seven months. Ferry operator SeaStreak began running a city-subsidized ferry service between a makeshift ferry slip at Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive in Rockaway Park, Queens, and Pier 11/Wall Street, then continuing on to the East 34th Street Ferry Landing. A stop at Brooklyn Army Terminal was added in August 2013 because of the reconstruction of the Montague Street Tunnel, which temporarily suspended R train service through the tunnel.^[15] The ferry proved to be popular and its license was extended several times, as city officials evaluated the ridership numbers to determine whether to establish the service on a permanent basis. Between its inception and December 2013, the service had carried close to 200,000 riders.^[16]

The NYCEDC study was updated in 2013, following the introduction of the SeaStreak Rockaway ferry.^[17] The study, called "CFS2013", showed the impact of ferry services in New York City, citing the success of the East River ferry. Specifically, ferry service raised the values of real estate within 1 mile (1.6 km) of ferry landings by an average of 1.2%; spurred new construction near ferry stops; added more transport options to neighborhoods with few transit alternatives; and helped relieve crowding on other parts of New York City's transport network.^[17]:15–21 The study also suggested extra routes that could be added to the ferry system, with proposed routes that would serve new development in all five boroughs.^[17]:22–30 The specific idea of a citywide ferry was also first proposed in the study.^[17]:31–69

When the city government announced its budget in late June 2014 for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1, the ferry only received a $2 million further appropriation, enough to temporarily extend it again through October.^[18] The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio stated that there was not enough ridership to justify the cost of operation.^[19] Despite last-minute efforts by local transportation advocates, civic leaders, and elected officials, ferry service ended on October 31, 2014. They promised to continue efforts to have the service restored.^[20][21] This led to many negotiations between the mayor's office and the parties interested in reopening the ferry. The mayor's office eventually agreed to restart the Rockaway ferry when the NYC Ferry system opened.^[19]

Planning

NYC Ferry
SV  Soundview Non-stop section along Hell Gate between 90th Street and Soundview  AST  Astoria  SV  90th Street/Yorkville  AST  Roosevelt Island  AST   LES  Long Island City (Gantry Plaza)  ER   AST   LES   SV  34th Street  ER  Hunters Point South  ER  Greenpoint  LES  23rd Street  ER  North Williamsburg  LES  Grand Street  ER  Schaefer Landing  ER   SB  DUMBO (Pier 1)  ER   RB   AST   SB   LES   SV  Wall Street  SB  Atlantic Avenue (Pier 6)  ER   SB  Governors Island (summers only)  SB  Red Hook  RB   SB  Sunset Park (Brooklyn Army Terminal)  SB  Bay Ridge Non-stop section along the Atlantic Ocean between Sunset Park and Rockaway  RB  Rockaway (Rockaway Park)
The colored boxes on the left correspond to the following routes serving the respective stops listed on the right.  RB : Rockaway route  AST : Astoria route  SB : South Brooklyn route  LES : Lower East Side route (opens 2018)  SV : Soundview route  ER : East River route

In March and April 2015, the city started the process of environmental review for Citywide Ferry.^[37]:2 The city requested the draft of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on August 12, 2015, which was completed by April 18, 2016.^[38] After public comment, the final EIS was approved on July 28, 2016.^[38][39]:2 The project also had a City Environmental Quality Review, which analyzed the ferry's effects on open space, urban design, natural resources, nearby transportation, noise pollution, air quality, the environment, and public health.^[37][39]:2

Construction

From January to June 2016, the city bought 4 boats for the proposed ferry service for a combined total of $6 million, with plans for a total of 30 boats over the coming years.^[1] Hornblower Cruises requested 13 boats for the first routes, each costing $4 million each.^[1][40] The total combined cost of the boats is more than $70 million.^[1][41] In addition, the city was building 13 ferry landings at a cost of $85 million, as well as a boat depot.^[1] One of these docks, in Astoria, was built privately as part of the Astoria Cove development.^[42] In September 2016, construction on 19 ferries began at two shipyards in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and Jeanerette, Louisiana,^[43][40] with 200 full-time employees working on the boats.^[44][45] The contract with the two shipyards is unusual because shipbuilding contracts are usually with only one company. However, NYC Ferry executives had purposely chosen these two companies because of their expertise and because of the unlikeliness that both shipyards would be destroyed by hurricanes.^[40]

Ferry implementation required permission from several entities. Before the ferry could start service, the NYCDOT was required to approve a new transportation mode within its service area. Additionally, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and United States Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) was supposed to give NYC Ferry permission to use of the landings, with the United States Coast Guard advising the CoE's approval of a permit as well as monitoring the design of vessels.^[38] In addition, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation had to allow ferries to use the landing at Gantry Plaza State Park, and the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation was consulted so they could give permission for the Roosevelt Island landing to be built.^[38] By September 2016, the Gantry Plaza landing had been approved.^[46]

In December 2016, Hornblower purchased the rights to operate the East River route for $21 million. The route had been operated by Billybey Ferries, which had a contract to operate the line under the NY Waterway banner.^[47][25] As part of the sale, Hornblower paid $6 million for four older boats already in use on the East River ferry.^[47]

The first completed new vessel left the Bayou La Batre facility on around March 24, 2017,^[48] and it arrived in New York on April 2, 2017.^[49] On April 6, Mayor de Blasio announced that the service had been rebranded from Citywide Ferry to NYC Ferry, and that the start of service had been moved up a month from the original schedule, with the East River, South Brooklyn, and Rockaway routes to begin on May 1,^[34] a month ahead of schedule.^[50] Under the new schedule, the South Brooklyn route began on June 1^[51] and the Astoria route began on August 29,^[52][29] while the Lower East Side and Soundview routes are still to begin in 2018.^[34][50]

Opening and high ridership

Articulated gangway at the South Williamsburg landing

The first two routes were opened on May 1, 2017.^[53][54] On its first day of service, NYC Ferry saw more than 6,400 riders; of these, 1,828 rode the Rockaway ferry while the rest rode the East River Ferry.^[55] In its first week, the ferry transported 49,000 riders, of which 38,000 used the East River Ferry while the remaining 11,000 used the Rockaway route.^[56] Although the service had a 95% on-time rate during the first week, NYC Ferry chartered a boat from NY Waterway due to delays on some routes.^[47] NYC Ferry also continued to temporarily use some of the older East River Ferry boats on that route.^[47] The ferry grew so popular that during the Memorial Day weekend in May 2017, the routes saw 26,000 passengers over two days, including 9,600 riders on the East River Ferry during each day.^[57] Described by The New York Times as the service's "biggest test so far",^[57] the 2017 Memorial Day weekend saw reports of hour-long waits for overcrowded ferries.^[58]

In June, NYC Ferry had to charter two 400-passenger charter boats for the East Ferry route to alleviate crowding on the routes serving Governors Island^[35] while packed boats skipped stops along these routes.^[58] By June 22, the ferry had carried 500,000 passengers, a milestone officials had not expected to be reached for several months.^[59] Due to unexpected demand, crowding became worse as the summer of 2017 progressed, with packed-to-capacity boats and long waits becoming more common.^[60] As of July, there were an estimated 83,500 riders on the South Brooklyn route in one month, exceeding the original ridership estimate by more than 30,000.^[36] The East River ferry saw about 7,200 riders per average weekday since being taken over by NYC Ferry, up from 3,257 average weekday riders in 2013.^[61] That month, three new boats being built were also revised to fit more passengers.^[35][36] A 500-passenger boat was also borrowed from SeaStreak for the Rockaway route.^[62] By July 26, 2017, NYC Ferry had carried 1 million riders.^[63][64]

In August 2017, NYC Ferry filed plans to build four ferry docks: one in Soundview, one in Yorkville, one near Stuyvesant Cove, and one on the Lower East Side.^{[65][66]:4–5} It also sought to add two more piers to its home port at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.^[66]:5 The Soundview route was revised so that it would stop at East 34th Street instead of at East 62nd Street, which would no longer be built.^[67] That month, Brooklyn politicians called for docks to be built in Coney Island and Canarsie, owing to the new system's popularity.^[68] The Astoria route was projected to carry 1,800 daily passengers upon opening, by which point the service had seen 1.4 million riders.^[69] Due to even more ridership demand, three extra ferries were ordered in September 2017, by which time over 2 million people had ridden the ferry.^[70] By November 2017, there had been a total of 2.5 million rides on NYC Ferry, compared to the 1.8 million that had been projected by this time, and two of the four routes had already surpassed ridership milestones that the city had not anticipated would be reached until 2019. At that point, the city had spent $16.5 million to subsidize the ferry.^[71][72] The New York Post reported in November 2017 that five of the new ferryboats had already been taken out of service due to leaks. According to the Post, the boats were taken out of service starting in October after Coast Guard inspectors observed severe corrosion on the hulls.^[73] Hornblower subsequently confirmed the report, saying that the cause of the corrosion was misaligned keel coolers, and that three vessels had been removed from service in October for repair, followed by three more in November.^[74]

Construction on the four remaining NYC Ferry docks in Manhattan and the Bronx started on February 28, 2018, in preparation for the start of Lower East Side and Soundview service that summer.^[75][76] In May 2018, the first anniversary of the ferry system's opening, de Blasio announced that NYC Ferry had received an extra $300 million to purchase extra boats, increase fleet capacity, and expand service. The number of new boats was not specified, but it was expected that there would be a mix of standard 150-passenger boats and large 350-passenger boats; as a stopgap, Hornblower would charter up to eight 500-passenger boats for temporary use on NYC Ferry. At this point, the city planned that the service would see 9 million riders per year, double the original annual estimate of 4.5 million riders.^[77] However, critics stated that the MTA's subway and bus systems carried a combined 7 million passengers per day, and that such a large subsidy for NYC Ferry was disproportionate to the number of people who rode the ferry.^[78] According to The Village Voice, NYC Ferry was aiming to transport 24,500 daily riders by 2023, a figure smaller than the 2017 daily ridership of 14 local bus routes. NYC Ferry had averaged 10,000 daily riders in 2017, while the bus and subway system had respectively carried 2 million and 5 million daily riders on average.^[79]

In August 2018, it was announced that service on NYC Ferry's Soundview and Lower East Side routes would begin that month.^[80] The route to Soundview opened on August 15, 2018,^[81][82] followed by the Lower East Side route on August 29.^[83][84] New York City Transit extended select Bx27 bus trips to Clason Point Park to serve the Soundview route in summer 2018.^[85] Following the opening of the Lower East Side route, de Blasio stated that he planned for the system to expand further.^[86]

Rider reception

According to an August 2017 customer satisfaction survey from the NYCEDC, passengers had a mostly positive view of the NYC Ferry system, with 93% of riders giving positive ratings.^[87][79] Almost 70% of the 1,300 riders surveyed gave the ferry the highest possible rating.^[88] In May 2018, The Village Voice conducted an informal demographic survey of NYC Ferry riders, since the NYCEDC had not officially released the rider-demographic data. The Voice found that most of the 60 riders it encountered were using the ferry simply because it was less crowded and more comfortable compared to the subway. Additionally, many of the surveyed riders worked in higher-income jobs.^[79]

Routes

This is a list of the six routes that are part of the new ferry system.^[89][90] There is a phased introduction of these routes. Phase 1 covers the routes implemented in 2017 and provides new service to the Rockaways, Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Roosevelt Island, and Astoria in addition to areas already served by the East River Ferry and the Governor's Island Ferry. Phase 2 covers the routes implemented in 2018 and provides new service to Soundview, Yorkville, Kips Bay, and the Lower East Side.^{[23][32][41][38]} The route to Coney Island and Stapleton is under discussion.^[32][22] There are two main Manhattan terminals at Wall Street and East 34th Street.^[39]:5

East River Ferry

The East River Ferry in its former NY Waterway livery

East River ferries operate in both directions with year-round service running every 30 minutes. Service operates to or from Governors Island during summer weekends only from 10:15 am to 6:30 pm.^[91]

Stop	Transfers[91][95][96][97]
East 34th Street Ferry Landing FDR Drive/34th Street, Manhattan 40°44′38″N 73°58′26″W / 40.74388°N 73.97393°W / 40.74388; -73.97393 (East 34th Street Landing)	NY Waterway shuttle bus SeaStreak M34 SBS, M34A SBS and M15 buses
Hunters Point South Center Boulevard & Borden Avenue, Queens 40°44′30″N 73°57′43″W / 40.74159°N 73.96195°W / 40.74159; -73.96195 (Hunters Point Landing)	7 and <7>​ trains at Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue Long Island City LIRR station Q103 bus
Greenpoint India Street, Brooklyn 40°43′55″N 73°57′43″W / 40.73183°N 73.96196°W / 40.73183; -73.96196 (Greenpoint Landing)	G train at Greenpoint Avenue B24, B32, B43 and B62 buses
North Williamsburg North Sixth Street, Brooklyn 40°43′11″N 73°57′52″W / 40.71977°N 73.9645°W / 40.71977; -73.9645 (North Williamsberg Landing)	L train at Bedford Avenue B32, B62 and Q59 buses
South Williamsburg Schaefer Landing, Brooklyn 40°42′33″N 73°58′17″W / 40.70922°N 73.97144°W / 40.70922; -73.97144 (South Williamsburg Landing)	B32, B62 and Q59 buses
Dumbo/Fulton Ferry Fulton Street, Brooklyn 40°42′13″N 73°59′53″W / 40.70367°N 73.99806°W / 40.70367; -73.99806 (Dumbo Landing)	New York Water Taxi A and ​C trains at High Street F train at York Street B25 bus
Governors Island (summer weekends only) 40°41′28″N 74°00′44″W / 40.69107°N 74.012236°W / 40.69107; -74.012236 (Governors Island Landing)
Pier 11 at Wall Street South Street, Manhattan 40°42′14″N 74°00′33″W / 40.70376°N 74.00919°W / 40.70376; -74.00919 (Pier 11 at Wall Street Landing)	SeaStreak New York Beach Ferry M15, QM7, QM8, SIM5, SIM5X, SIM15 and SIM35 buses

Fares and amenities

The fare for a single, one-way trip is $2.75,^[105][106] the same as on other modes of transportation in New York City such as the subway.^[28][54] Bicyclists must pay an additional $1 to board their bikes on ferries.^{[105][28][106]} Riders can transfer to other ferry routes within the system for free^[30] for ninety minutes after the passenger boards the first ferry.^[28] though this excludes the fare-free Staten Island Ferry, since it will not be integrated into NYC Ferry.^[22] In addition, the NYC Ferry system does not provide free transfer to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's greater mass transit system,^[1][32][107] nor does it accept MetroCards.^[107] Ferry tickets can be purchased online, through NYC Ferry's mobile app, or physically at a ticket booth or ticket machine.^[105] A 30-day pass costs $121, while a 30-day pass for bikers costs $141.^[28][105]

The 85-foot (26 m) boats can carry 150 people each, including wheelchairs, strollers, and bikes.^[44] As a further incentive, the boats have snacks and drink options, including coffee and wine, that are available to riders.^[32][26][57] There are also battery-charging stations on board the boats, as well as free Wi-Fi.^{[54][57][108]}

Stops

North Williamsburg ferry stop

The service would ultimately have 21 landings, of which ten would be brand-new, five would be upgraded, and six would be preexisting landings that would not be changed with the addition of NYC Ferry routes.^[39]:6 The existing East River Ferry landings at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1; Schaefer Landing; North Williamsburg; Greenpoint; and Long Island City remained unchanged. There would be upgrades to the landings at Wall Street; East 34th Street; East 92nd Street; Brooklyn Army Terminal; and Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6. The remaining landings were built as part of the project.^[39]:6 A stop on Governor's Island was implemented along one of the routes to South Brooklyn. At the time, Governor's Island Ferry, the only public access to the island, runs seasonally between May and September, but the proposed Governor's Island stop would feature ferry service year-round.^[39]:6[109] It was decided to build the Rockaway dock at Beach 108th Street, but a second dock could not be built further east than Beach 84th Street due to height restrictions caused by the Rockaway Line subway bridge.^[26] Construction on the first dock, the Rockaway landing, began in January 2017.^[110][111]

The upgraded landings, which increase capacity and passenger flow, are located on 35-by-90-foot (11 by 27 m) barges that connect to land via the use of either one or two articulated ramps. The landings conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act and contain enclosed waiting rooms with ticket booths and information boards.^[39]:7 Mono-pile mooring facilities are installed on the side of the landings to ensure that the ferries dock safely, but some landings also include extra bulkheads or piers.^[39]:7

Ferry fleet

In July 2016, Metal Shark Boats and Horizon Shipbuilding were jointly awarded construction contracts for the service's new build ferries.^[112] The vessels, which were designed by Incat Crowther, are about 85 feet (26 m) long, with a 26 feet (7.9 m) beam, and have a passenger capacity of 149.^[112] They are powered by Baudouin diesel engines, with a service speed of 25 knots (29 mph).^[112] By September, nineteen ferries were being built for Phase 1 of service.^[44][43][45] In January 2017, five more ferries were ordered from Horizon Shipbuilding, for a total of 24 vessels.^[113] The first new build vessel for NYC Ferry was launched by Horizon Shipbuilding on February 13.^[114] These boats arrived in New York City on April 17 and were named at a ceremony at Brooklyn Bridge Park.^[115]

The boats use the same types of loading equipment on the port, starboard, and bow as do boats that already operated in the New York Harbor.^[39]:7 There are two types of boats: an open-water "Rockaway vessel" type for the Rockaway route, and another "river vessel" type for the rest of the system. Both designs have a common 86 feet (26 m) length and 26.25 feet (8.00 m) beam, but the Rockaway service vessels have a slightly deeper draft and higher freeboard, as well as added fuel capacity and larger engines giving a slightly higher service speed.^[114] All of the vessels are powered by engines that pass Environmental Protection Agency Tier 3 Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards guidelines.^[39]:7 Ferry horns' volumes were lowered in June 2017 after complaints by residents living near ferry stops.^[116]

The Brooklyn Army Terminal and Brooklyn Navy Yard were considered for the location of the vessel maintenance facility.^[37]:4[39]:7 The Navy Yard option, which the city preferred because of its proximity to the "core operating area" of the routes and would allow an extra station to be added there in the future,^[37]:4[39]:7 was eventually selected.^[117] Renovation of the site was required to remove an existing pier and replace it with a new structure capable of docking up to 25 boats. This new facility would be responsible for performing regular cleaning and maintenance on the vessels.^[117] The construction work began in spring 2017, at which time it was expected to be completed in early 2018.^[117][118]

As a result of an unforeseen surge in ridership, the NYCEDC and Hornblower announced in July 2017 that three of the twenty 149-passenger vessels would be reconfigured into 250-passenger boats. These boats would have bigger engines to accommodate the additional passengers.^[35][36] In September 2017, the NYCEDC ordered three new 350-passenger boats for NYC Ferry service to supplement the 20 original boats. Metal Shark would build the new boats for $7 million to $7.5 million each.^[70] Three more large boats were ordered in November 2017.^[71] As part of the contract between the city and Hornblower, both parties have options for the city to buy the boats in the future.^[71] The first of the new 350-passenger boats was delivered in July 2018.^[119][120]

Before being allowed to pilot a NYC Ferry vessel, prospective captains are tested using a ferry simulation at the State University of New York Maritime College in Throggs Neck. As of April 2017, there were plans to hire up to 50 captains by 2018.^[121][122] In July 2017, Hornblower started looking to hire 80 deckhands to dock boats.^[123]

Active roster

The following vessels are owned and operated by Hornblower for NYC Ferry operation, and do not include vessels leased from other companies.

Image	Vessel Name	(Vessel Number)	Type	Year	Notes
	Jamaica Bay		Rockaway Vessel	1986 (Refurbished in 2007, 2017, and 2018)	Originally built as Dolphin in 1986. Renamed MV Zelinsky in 1997[124] Was owned by Blue and Gold Fleet until March 2016[124] Purchased by Hornblower prior to NYC Ferry's start[124] Able to accommodate up to 400 passengers Exclusively used on the Rockaway Route
	Straits Express[125]			1995 (Refurbished in 2013; Being refurbished and spec'd for NYC Ferry standards in 2018)	Originally built in 1995, refurbished in 2013 under Arnold Transit in Cincinnati, OH[126] Sold to NYC Ferry/Hornblower in July 2018 Being overhauled and specified for NYC Ferry standards. Able to accommodate up to 400 passengers Exclusively used on the Rockaway Route
	Christopher Columbus		Standard (River Boat)	2001 (Being Renovated to NYC Ferry standards)	Built in 2001 and operated under NY Waterway Sold to NYC Ferry/Hornblower in September 2017 Currently being renovated to operate on NYC Ferry routes Able to accommodate up to 150 passengers Can be used on any route
	Waves of Wonder (HB-101)			2016	1st Generation Vessel Able to accommodate up-to 150 passengers[112] Contains displays and announcements for route stops/destinations Features top deck accessible from rear of vessel, and plastic seats with tables.[120]
	Sunset Crossing (HB-102)
	Happy Hauler (HB-103)
	Great Eagle (HB-104)
	Owl's Head (HB-105)
	HB 106			2017
	HB 107
	Lunch Box (HB-200)
	Urban Journey (HB-201)
	Friendship Express (HB-202)
	Connector (HB-203)		Rockaway Vessel	2017	2nd Generation Vessel Able to accommodate up-to 150 passengers; eventually will be converted to accommodate 250 passengers[112] Used exclusively on the Rockaway route, but can occasionally operate on the South Brooklyn and Astoria routes Features top deck accessible from rear of vessel, and plastic seats with tables.[120] The upgrades are scheduled for the Fall of 2018.
	Opportunity (HB-204)
	Flyer (HB-205)
	H206		Standard (River Boat)	2017	2nd Generation Vessel Able to accommodate up-to 150 passengers[112] Features top deck accessible from rear of vessel, and plastic seats with tables.[120]
	H207
	H208
	H209
	Ocean Queen Rockstar (HB-108)		Rockaway Vessel	2018	3rd Generation Vessel (K Class) Ocean Queen Rockstar was delivered on July 9, 2018[119] and Seas The Day was delivered on August 15, 2018 While these vessels will primarily be on the Rockaway Line, they can be used on all routes, if necessary Can accommodate upto 350 passengers[70] Features leather vinyl seating without tables[120] The top deck can be reached from either end of the vessel.[120]
	Seas The Day (HB-109)

Schedules and shuttle buses

NYC Ferry operates from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. during all seven days of the week.^[38][39]:9 During peak hours, ferries operate or are proposed to operate at 20-minute headways to Astoria and the Lower East Side; 30-minute headways to Bay Ridge and Soundview; and 30-60 minute headways to the Rockaways (see § Routes for more details).^[39]:9

NYC Ferry operates three shuttle bus routes. One is a preexisting NY Waterway service to the East 34th Street landing.^[39]:9 The other two are brand-new services to the Rockaway landing, which is at Beach 108th Street.^[26] One route goes west to Jacob Riis Park,^[38][39]:9 while the other was originally planned for operation between the ferry landing and Beach 67th Street, but was ultimately extended eastward.^[26] The Environmental Impact Statement provided for an extension of the Beach 67th Street bus to Beach 31st Street via Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach Channel Drive,^[38][39]:9 but de Blasio's office said that extending the bus further would cause a bus fleet shortage, resulting in passengers missing their boats.^[26] As of June 2017, the East Shuttle bus only runs to Beach 35th Street.^[127]