Welcome Back, Fair-Weather Ferry Fans

James Ramsay

WNYC News | May 2, 2018

With temperatures destined for the mid 80s this week, New Yorkers are about to get a friendly reminder of what it's like to stand on a hot, muggy subway platform.

But here's another reminder: Some of you have the option of commuting on the breezy deck of boat.

The NYC Ferry service launched last May, with boats running from Wall Street up the East River to Williamsburg and another line going to and from the Rockaways. Then a South Brooklyn line was added. And an Astoria line. Beach season hit. Crowds were stranded on docks. And, finally, it got cold again.

But the people who live at the beach still have to commute—and one of those people is Pat Hickey, who works in lower Manhattan and takes the Rockaway ferry. She told WNYC that during the winter, it was actually a pleasant experience.

"There's a covering in the Rockaway portion, and I'd get in and it was nice and warm, and I got a $1 cup of coffee and it was a good commute," Hickey said. "Last summer was a pain in the neck because it was really, really crowded. So you'd have to get there early. There's no line in the winter time. Absolutely no line."

The city's Economic Development Corporation, which oversees the NYC Ferry service, provided WNYC with ridership numbers for much of the past year. Last July, when ridership peaked, the East River and Rockaway lines saw 255,000 passengers and 117,000, respectively. In February, those numbers were down to 95,000 and 23,000.

This summer, NYC Ferry plans to launch two more routes: a Lower East Side ferry, and a Soundview route, which would connect the Bronx and Upper East Side to lower Manhattan.

To deal with crowds, the EDC says its adding three 350-passenger boats to its permanent fleet, plus it plans to charter supplemental 500-passenger boats that can be switched from route to route as needed. On a 90-degree Saturday, for example, the idea is to prioritize beachgoers on the Rockaway line.

One more thing: Last summer when we met Hickey, she told us, "I take pictures every day and send them to people and say, look where I am!"

Well, she sent us some of those pictures. So if you commuted by subway all winter, here's what you missed out on: