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Fancy E-Ferry Service Promises 'Seamless' Service During L Train Shutdown
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 5, 2018
Modified Oct 5, 2018
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 5, 2018
Modified Oct 5, 2018
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There are just 177 days until April 2019, when L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan will cease for more than a year. Perhaps you have considered enrolling in a private "luxury" shuttle bus service that promises to whisk you to your big city job. But while you're stuck atop the middle of the Williamsburg Bridge in hopeless gridlock, like some helpless rube on a sick ferris wheel of civic neglect, you can refresh your garbage wifi connection and look down at the real influencers, as they silently glide by on an electric-powered ferry stocked with beer and "locally crafted coffee."
The "SW/TCH E-Mobility" ferry has room for 150 lucky souls, and will "connect Williamsburg with the Eastside of Manhattan, which will give SW/TCH members a way to beat the L-train shutdown while enjoying a comfortable, stylish, and—most importantly—emission free commute across the East River," according to the company's press release.
Technically, the SW/TCH E-Mobility ferry doesn't exist yet, but the company promises that it will provide "a limited membership beta" in time for the L train shutdown. (Hmmm, but their website says "Construction of the e-ferry is slated to begin before the end of 2018 with a build time of approximately one year," so will it be ready? If this concerns you, maybe YOU'RE not ready—for "the next era of conscious commuting," as the release puts it.)
One look at these renderings and you'll feel the "premium onboard experience" coursing through your blood like an oat milk cortado.
Proscuitto crostini as a boat snack after a long day at the blog factory? Damn, the L train can STAY shut down!
Of course, once the ferry drops you off at Stuyvesant Cove, you'll need something to help you with that extra mile, preferably something zippy. That's why a SW/TCH E-Mobility membership gets you use of electric vans, mini shuttles, electric mopeds, e-bikes, e-scooters, and for the super discerning commuter who's not afraid of loosening their Bonobos tie a little bit, boost boards.
A $150 membership will get you a finite but as-yet-unspecified amount of "ride credits" to use across their system. After that, it's a la carte. You can reserve a membership spot for $65 (the $55 super early bird reservations are "sold out").
The MTA and the DOT estimate that 70 to 80 percent of the 400,000 daily L train riders will attempt to use other subway lines; buses are supposed to carry 15 percent, while ferries will make up around 5 percent, or 20,000 riders.
On Wednesday, the MTA announced that through the City's Economic Development Corporation and NY Waterway, they would be operating two 240-passenger ferries at regular intervals during the shutdown to complement the city-operated ferries. Those will travel between Stuyvesant Cove to a temporary landing dock on North 6th Street in Williamsburg, and can carry 2,000 people an hour for each direction. Fares will be $2.75, and you will be able to transfer to the 14th Street busway or any subway line. (A full schedule is here.)
Assuming more private ferry companies will crop up to meet demand, will they have to jockey for the docks with public ferries during rush hour?
An EDC spokesperson says that there are two slips on Stuyvesant Cove, and that private companies have to apply with the DOT for a permit to operate on public docks. A DOT spokesperson says that the agency hasn't received a permit from SW/TCH E-Mobility, but the company says they are going to be run by "an existing ferry operating partner."
We're still waiting for a response from a company spokesperson, and will update if they get back to us.
Tagged
l train
MTA
williamsburg
ferries
l train shutdown
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.
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