Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Blame Tourists For The Staten Island Ferry's Tardiness
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 24, 2013
Modified Sep 24, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 24, 2013
Modified Sep 24, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Tourists. Just as we seem to find our moorings, their double-decker buses and Topshop bags barrel relentlessly through our lives, leaving gold-dusted angst in their wake. It's lucrative and complicated. But here's something that is decidedly their fault: the Staten Island ferry's weekday on-time performance rate dropped 3 points in FY 2013.
"The No. 1 cause of late ferry trips remains the consistently large number of tourists who attempt to remain aboard the boats to make the return trip, taking significant crew time to clear the vessel, as required by Coast Guard regulations," DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow told the SI Advance.
It didn't used to be this way: from 1999 through 2002 the ferry had a 97% on-time percentage. In 2003 it was 97.8%. Then in 2004 it dipped to 93.4%, and by 2011 it was 90.9%. Now, it's at 88.6%, roughly coinciding with the record 52 million tourists that visited the city last year.
Although announcements alert riders that they must clear the boat at the end of each trip, many apparently fail to hear them, fail to understand them—or they just flat-out ignore them in hopes of staying put.
In response, Solomonow said ferry officials have been adjusting staff schedules to respond to these changes. The tourists are unpredictable, however, he said, with their crowds varying depending on everything from the weather to the economy.
Elusive tourists, like man capri-wearing beads of mercury, slipping from the DOT's grasp and back into the neon ether. Those 52 million tourists generated $55.3 billion in revenue, though the city's goal is $70 billion by 2015, which may be bad news for the ferry. Where do they get the idea to go to Staten Island, anyway?
Tagged
scapegoats
staten island ferry
tourists
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC ambulance response times have grown 41% as life-threatening calls rise
A city comptroller’s report points to ambulance maintenance problems and low pay for EMTs and paramedics as factors contributing to longer waits.
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
Mamdani and 100+ NY officials urge parking lot owners to ban ICE
The officials released a letter on Friday that asks the owners of parking lots and garages not to rent, lend or otherwise make their property available to ICE.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
Mamdani and 100+ NY officials urge parking lot owners to ban ICE
The officials released a letter on Friday that asks the owners of parking lots and garages not to rent, lend or otherwise make their property available to ICE.
By
Arya Sundaram
Federal judge tosses Trump administration lawsuit challenging NYC sanctuary laws
By
Phil Corso
2 men charged in fatal fentanyl poisoning of NYC college student, alleged rape
By
Giulia Heyward
NYC spending on homelessness has soared. So has the number of people on the street.
By
Karen Yi
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .