NYC's Ferry System is Quietly Breaking Ridership Records

The New York City ferry system is eyeing an expansion of the system as more people use the service, which saw a record ridership of over 1 million boardings in August. 

As Sri Taylor explains in Bloomberg CityLab, “Best known for its ferries gliding in and out of Manhattan, the 38-fleet system was used by more than 7.4 million travelers in 2024 on routes that cover 70 nautical miles to all five boroughs.” As a result, the municipal subsidy per passenger has dropped from $13 per passenger in 2022 to $8.55 in 2024. 

According to Taylor, “The figures come a few months after NYC Ferry officials proposed major route changes. The request includes splitting the East River route into two, combining the Soundview and Rockaway routes to get riders to Midtown and East 90th Street and adding connections on Staten Island’s route.” Officials say the changes could reduce the subsidy even further and make the system a convenient option for more commuters.

The NYC Ferry is one of several water transit systems in the region, where the Staten Island Ferry and the NY Waterway also provide services to parts of New York City and New Jersey. “A finalized plan for the ferries’ systemwide reconfiguration is set to be released this fall and implemented later this year, according to the release.”