Staten Island Ferry

The New York City Department of Transportation utilizes the Staten Island Ferry, a passenger ferry service. The ferry’s sole route stretches 5.2 miles (8.4 km) in New York Harbor between Manhattan and Staten Island, with ferry boats taking around 25 minutes to complete the journey. The ferry runs 24/7, with boats departing every 15 to 20 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes for the rest of the day. It is the sole direct public transportation link between the two boroughs. The Staten Island Ferry has always had a cheap fee compared to other means of transportation in the vicinity. The trip has been fare-free since 1997. The Staten Island Ferry is one of the numerous ferry systems in the New York City region. It is run independently of the NYC Ferry and NY Waterway systems. Browse

 

Whitehall Terminal, on Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan, and St. George Terminal, in St. George, Staten Island, are both stops on the Staten Island Ferry route. There are links to the New York City Subway and many local New York City Bus lines at Whitehall. In addition, transfers to the Staten Island Railway and the St. George Bus Terminal’s many bus lines are available in St. George. Passengers from Manhattan may depart a subway or bus on Whitehall Street, travel the boat for free, and then transfer to a train or bus at St. George using their MetroCard ticket cards. Passengers from Staten Island, on the other hand, may quickly move to a subway or bus in Manhattan after taking the boat.

 

The Staten Island Ferry began as a steamboat service between Manhattan and Staten Island in 1817 when the Richmond Turnpike Company established a steamboat service between Manhattan and Staten Island. Cornelius Vanderbilt purchased the Richmond Turnpike Company in 1838, and it was combined with two rivals in 1853. In 1864, the merged firm was sold to the Staten Island Railroad Company. After being sold to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1884, the Staten Island Ferry was taken over by the City of New York in 1905.

 

In the early twentieth century, municipal and private businesses operated Ferries from Staten Island to Brooklyn. By the mid-1960s, all of the lines from Staten Island to Brooklyn had been deactivated due to the development of automobile traffic. Still, the route to Manhattan had been kept due to popular demand. By 1967, the Staten Island-Manhattan ferry had become the city’s only commuter ferry. From 1997 to 1998, a quick ferry service operated between Staten Island and Midtown Manhattan; plans to restart the service revived in the 2010s.

 

Barberi, Austen, Molinari, and Ollis are the four types of ferry boats in operation. Call (212) 839-3061 to reach the Passenger Service Office. A fantastic read.