Since NYC Ferry’s inception in 2017, it has become a regular part of the city’s transportation ecosystem. And it’s easy to see why when you talk to commuters.

“It's not as hectic," said rider Maria Acocella. "It's an awesome ride on a summer day. You can sit up on top and if I'm running late and I get on the ferry at 7, I can drink wine.”

What You Need To Know

  • NYC Ferry started in 2017 and had over 1 million monthly riders for the first time this past August, driven by its seasonal express service to the Rockaways

  • Ridership grew by 17% over last August. Ridership on the Rockaway Rocket jumped by 20%, helping to pull in an extra $500,000 in fare box revenue

  • NYC Ferry says it expects ridership to grow by 14% when its proposed ferry optimization is implemented in the winter

“It's safer. It's cleaner," said Bobbi Mitchell, who rides from the Bronx. "I made a lot of friends and it's just a better ride.”

New numbers show exponential growth in Ferry ridership.

“Just this past August, we had over a million riders," said James Wong, the executive vice president and executive director of NYC Ferry. "Those are people getting on NYC Ferry four times to get to the beach, to run errands, to go shopping, to go to work.”

Wong says this is first time the ferry has hit a million riders in one month — a 17% increase over last August. A major driver: the seasonal express route to the Rockaways.

“So we've got the Rockaway Rocket, which had a 20% increase in ticket sales this year,” he said.

And there are changes coming this winter that NYC Ferry thinks will boost ridership by 14% by having more routes go to Midtown, while others will increase frequency.

“We found that in our feedback surveys of almost 90% of over 15,000 respondents have told us that they're going to ride the same or more as part of this optimization plan," said Wong. "So it's a really resounding response. People are excited about it. And so we're looking forward to any final tweaks before we announce a final plan.”

The proposal includes a new route that connects Brooklyn to Staten Island and takes passengers from the east to the west side. But it’s the Rockaway Rocket that Wong says is helping the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which runs the ferry, keep subsidies low, even while offering discounts that make the ride the same price as the subway, and less than an express bus or the LIRR.

“Our subsidy is actually per passenger is actually lower than Metro-North and Long Island Railroad," said Wong. "We have the base fare at 4.50. We have a multipack, which is the same as a subway and bus fare $2.90 if you buy ten tickets.”

And there are no plans to raise that price when the MTA raises its fares in January.