Eric Adams says the New York City ferry fare will increase to $4. Discounted tickets will be made available to seniors, the disabled and low-income riders.
Eric Adams says the New York City ferry fare will increase to $4. Discounted tickets will be made available to seniors, the disabled and low-income riders.
(The Center Square) – A week after a scathing audit found more than $224 million in unreported costs tied to New York City’s ferry system, Mayor Eric Adams unveiled the first phase of a revamped fare schedule for the beleaguered program.
In an announcement Thursday at the ferry landing in Astoria, Queens, Adams said the city’s ferry system will institute a progressive fare structure with lower payments for some local riders and higher rates for occasional riders or tourists.
The fare is $2.75 for a one-way trip, which is the same cost as the city’s subway. However, an audit released by city Comptroller Brad Lander found that the city’s economic development agency did not report $224.4 million in costs associated with the program over a six-year period. That meant the city's actual subsidy per ride in the 2021 fiscal year was $12.88, $4.29 more than had been previously estimated.
Starting in September, senior citizens, those with disabilities and low-income individuals will be able to ride one way for $1.35. That will impact about 1 million New Yorkers, Adams said. Nonresidents will be charged $4 per ride.
Adams said the intent behind the new fare structure is to promote an “equitable” solution.
“Equal is not equitable,” the mayor said. “It’s about being equitable, and that’s what we’re doing. And being accessible and affordable for all New Yorkers.”
The city is also providing two free rides for city housing authority households that live within a mile of a ferry landing in hopes of boosting ridership. A $1 bike surcharge for ferry riders is also going away.
The mayor further defended the system, which includes landings in all five boroughs, as an important part of the city’s transit system – especially for neighborhoods that are not close to subway stations. He said that while there is a goal of reducing the subsidy, that’s not the only goal of the ferries.
“The New Yorkers who live here aren’t conveniently located to the subways,” Adams said. “It’s a serious commute on how far they have to get to the subway system. The New Yorkers who live here have the abilities to carry out the jobs throughout our city, but the transportation needs are not there. But you could walk to the ferry.”
The ferry system website says more than 500,000 people live within walking distance of the system's seven routes; an eighth is planned to launch this year.
Lander's 50-page report said the undisclosed $224.4 million in funds covered an array of capital and operating expenses. Chief among them was $173.8 million in various capital expenses through the end of last year.
In analysis by The Center Square, the city government's ferry system says it has served 24 million riders since launch. Cost overruns were $32.5 million in 2021, $52.6 million in 2020 and $52.9 million in 2019.
In a series of tweets Thursday, Lander praised the city’s response, saying it makes sense to charge some riders more and cut them for low-income residents. He also liked that the New York City Economic Development Corp. will release a new competitive request for proposals for a ferry operator. Hornblower runs the system for the city.
Lander continued his call for greater transparency in the financial reporting of the ferry’s operations.
“Full transparency means both reporting the calculations with operating costs alone as well as operating, capital, and debt included,” Lander tweeted.