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Fate Of Rockaway Ferry Remains Unclear
By
Lauren Evans
Published Jun 23, 2014
Modified Jun 23, 2014
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Jun 23, 2014
Modified Jun 23, 2014
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Is this the end of the line for the Rockaway ferry?
The issue of how long the ferry—a service instated by Mayor Bloomberg following Hurricane Sandy—will maintain operation has been a point of contention for the now-hundreds of commuters who ride it each day, with many having come to rely on it as an efficient and, at $3.50 a ride, cost effective means of reaching Manhattan. The problem for them, though, is that de Blasio did not address the ferry's continued existence in his $75 billion budget budget unveiled last week.
“There is no answer yet,” Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, who represents the area, told Capital New York. “They’re saying that the budget details aren’t done yet and they still don’t know.”
While it's a good deal for riders, the ferry isn't especially cheap to operate—at $5 million a year, it's more expensive than other mass transit options, like buses. On the other hand, ridership has jumped by more than 300 percent since the first version launched in 2009.
Funding for the service is set to expire in October unless the city allocates money to extend it, which it's already done several times.
Tagged
bill de blasio
rockaway ferry
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Lauren Evans
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