South Brooklyn ferry route to see three new, bigger boats amidst unexpectedly high ridership

[Around the Horn]

I'd rather see the 45 minute frequencies on weekends slashed down to 30, and a Bay Ridge-Midtown route but whatever...

 

Bigger boats are coming.

 

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYC Ferry operator Hornblower announced on Monday, July 3 that, since launching just over one month ago, the ferry’s South Brooklyn route has carried approximately 83,500 riders – more than 30,000 more than initially projected.

 

Due to the unexpectedly high demand, NYCEDC and Hornblower have committed to adding capacity to three of its 20 boats. These new boats, officials said, will be outfitted with bigger engines and fit 250 passengers – up about 100 from the fleet’s current 149-passenger cap.

 

“In just a little over one month, the South Brooklyn route has already provided 83,500 riders with a convenient, comfortable and scenic way to get around the city,” said NYCEDC President James Patchett. “Surpassing initial projections by over 33,000 riders shows how excited New Yorkers are for this new transit option. And with three more routes slated to launch within the next year, we’re looking forward to bringing NYC Ferry to even more neighborhoods across the city.”

 

The South Brooklyn route connects riders from Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Red Hook and Downtown Brooklyn to Manhattan’s Wall Street pier, with a seasonal connection to Governor’s Island. The Bay Ridge route sets sail from the nabe’s storied 69th Street Veterans Memorial Pier.

 

The South Brooklyn route joins two others currently in operation: the East River and the Rockaway route, with one more – the Astoria route – slated to set sail come August. The final two, the Lower East Side and Soundview routes, will launch next year, according to officials.

http://brooklynreporter.com/story/south-brooklyn-ferry-route-to-see-three-new-bigger-boats-amidst-unexpectedly-high-ridership/

[Cait Sith]

It's good to see these ferries in use.

Now to get my ass out there and check them out. I've been putting it off for a while now.

And with the Astoria route coming in a month or so....they're gonna need MORE boats.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

What happens when overall ferry ridership grows beyond levels that the City is able or willing to support? Hello, MTA Boat Company.

[paulrivera]

What happens when overall ferry ridership grows beyond levels that the City is able or willing to support? Hello, MTA Boat Company.

Boat bunching and deadheading and short turn boats galore!

[Around the Horn]

What happens when overall ferry ridership grows beyond levels that the City is able or willing to support? Hello, MTA Boat Company.

 

Those ferries would look badass in the MTA RBO paint scheme!

[BreeddekalbL]

i knew that they would be overcapacity...

[Cait Sith]

i knew that they would be overcapacity...

 

Who didn't? With the fact that the subway has been in a sharp downwards spiral as of late, it's becoming more evident that ferries are becoming a more reliable source of transportation. This shouldn't come as a surprise.

[DailyDose]

Ive ridden both the Rockaway and South Brooklyn routes (as of today) and was really impressed by the boats. Once capacity increases it should really be advertised as an alternative to the subway. Great experience!

[BreeddekalbL]

Who didn't? With the fact that the subway has been in a sharp downwards spiral as of late, it's becoming more evident that ferries are becoming a more reliable source of transportation. This shouldn't come as a surprise.

i get it, im saying i knew it would be crowded because of hornblower underestimating the boat crowds (you know my feelings on hornblower stealing the contract from circle line) 

 

Well the rockaway ferry is VERY crowded someone from another forum allowed me to share this, 

 

SHATTERED DREAMS FOR ROCKAWAY

So ... what's wrong with this picture? Paul and I should not have had any problems getting on the 11:15 a.m. ferry this morning (he was taking the ferry to work and I was going with him for the ride). The conditions were "perfect" for an absolute guarantee of getting on the 11:15: rain (not a beach day), off-peak time, and weekday. We did have a late start getting to the ferry landing but arrived at B. 108th Street around 11. After scrambling to find street-side parking and rushing to the landing afterward (we ended up parking a considerable distance away) we got on the line around 11:10. The line was fairly long but did not go past the gangplank. There was also a camp taking kids on a trip. We still thought we would get on the ferry.

However, ... as soon as some riders and the camp groups got on the ferry, the gates closed and the ferry pulled out without the rest of us. The Hornblower worker told us to get on one side of the barge and wait. I asked her if another ferryboat was coming before an hour to pick us up. She said she would check. A minute later she announced that the next ferry wouldn't be here for an hour.

"I've had enough!!" Paul snapped. "Take me to the subway!! I have to get to work and I cannot stand here for an hour!! Take me to the subway now!!!" Other people were also shaking their heads and saying the same: that they would go to Manhattan by subway. I heard one woman say that by not taking the ferry, she would have to travel to her destination via two trains and a bus. A few people stayed behind, but most of us left.

I have hardly ever seen Paul so angry. We even argued on the way to the ferry landing because we were coming in from Cedarhurst and Paul attempted to use some narrow side streets to avoid traffic lights and save time. We ended up losing time by doing so because one of the roads was blocked off and we had to back-track. Then we argued about where we were going to park once we got to Beach 108th Street. We already knew that Thursday would be difficult because of the "no parking until 1 p.m." on Beach Channel Drive (on the side of the landing). I had also resigned myself to the fact that I might just have to drop him off and leave if we couldn't get parking. We did find parking but it was beyond the sewage dump and far with the short amount of time that we had to catch the ferry. But it was all moot because we didn't get on the ferry anyway.

As we drove to the subway, Paul grumbled that he was "fed up with the ferry service" and is "done." NYCFerry has lost another rider today ... one of Rockaway's biggest ferry advocates, Paul Deckelman, who had been looking forward to commuting to Lower Manhattan on the ferry. Starting next week, he is back on the subway both ways ... unless something changes fast. This is a crying shame and disgrace. We looked forward to our ferry service coming back to take the pressures off traveling to and from Manhattan from our "transportation-starved" location, and is some respects, the ferry has become worse than the subway.

*** On a personal note, this is a tremendous disappointment and heartbreak for me on so many levels ... I don't think I need to elaborate anymore at this point ... by now, you get the idea.

#nycferry

[Around the Horn]

i get it, im saying i knew it would be crowded because of hornblower underestimating the boat crowds (you know my feelings on hornblower stealing the contract from circle line) 

 

Well the rockaway ferry is VERY crowded someone from another forum allowed me to share this, 

Hornblower did not steal the contract from Circle Line. I don't know where you are getting that from. In any event, ridership projections were done by the city not the operator.

 

With regards to the Rockaway ferry, hourly frequencies on anything is unacceptable. We need more boats than just 20 for the entire fleet and that's becoming abundantly clear.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Hornblower did not steal the contract from Circle Line. I don't know where you are getting that from. In any event, ridership projections were done by the city not the operator.

 

With regards to the Rockaway ferry, hourly frequencies on anything is unacceptable. We need more boats than just 20 for the entire fleet and that's becoming abundantly clear.

No, Hornblower didn't steal the contract, but there have been whispers about this being a sweetheart deal, given the fact that Hornblower runs ferry service out in San Francisco, and from my knowledge, has no experience at all with ferry service here, and I believe the old ferry operator was essentially looked over and the whole operation that existed before was rolled into this current ferry service.  Then there's the issue with these new ferries: not enough capacity, and some of them already breaking down despite being brand new.  In short there are definitely some kinks to work out. I had to attend most of these meetings on the new ferry service for work, so I was able to see the presentations in detail.

[Around the Horn]

Well, I doubt it was planned but these two showed up as the 7:05 ferry...

 

They should do this more often as both ferries were absolutely mobbed and the line to get on the ferry towards Manhattan reached all the way down the pier.

[danielhg121]

They gotta order new ferries quick, before the hype dies down and people become disappointed with the service.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using NYC Transit Forums mobile app

[Via Garibaldi 8]

They gotta order new ferries quick, before the hype dies down and people become disappointed with the service.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using NYC Transit Forums mobile app

The City has already changed the specs for the upcoming order to allow for more passengers to fit and they've accelerated the order as best as they can.  The only thing they can do now is add more boats here and there.  

 

Was that boat supposed to leave at 11:15 but instead left early? If so, that's ridiculous. I would be furious too.

 

Well, I doubt it was planned but these two showed up as the 7:05 ferry...

 

They should do this more often as both ferries were absolutely mobbed and the line to get on the ferry towards Manhattan reached all the way down the pier.

Likely not, but since they underestimated how many people would be using it, this is what you get.  I have to say that the meetings that I attended did not have that many people at them, save the one in Brooklyn Heights, and that was mainly because a lot of people from Red Hook showed up to voice their disgust with the planned location of the dock.  They wanted it to be more centralized, particularly for the people living in the housing projects, as they would have to walk the furthest to reach it. Given the turnout for the meetings in Soundview in the Bronx, Kew Gardens in Queens, and the meeting I went to Downtown, I didn't expect such overcrowding.

[QM1to6Ave]

The City has already changed the specs for the upcoming order to allow for more passengers to fit and they've accelerated the order as best as they can. The only thing they can do now is add more boats here and there.

 

Was that boat supposed to leave at 11:15 but instead left early? If so, that's ridiculous. I would be furious too.

 

Likely not, but since they underestimated how many people would be using it, this is what you get. I have to say that the meetings that I attended did not have that many people at them, save the one in Brooklyn Heights, and that was mainly because a lot of people from Red Hook showed up to voice their disgust with the planned location of the dock. They wanted it to be more centralized, particularly for the people living in the housing projects, as they would have to walk the furthest to reach it. Given the turnout for the meetings in Soundview in the Bronx, Kew Gardens in Queens, and the meeting I went to Downtown, I didn't expect such overcrowding.

I had no idea there had been a meeting in Kew gardens. What was the purpose? We are pretty far from the water...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I had no idea there had been a meeting in Kew gardens. What was the purpose? We are pretty far from the water...

lol... That's where they had the meeting for ferry service for the Rockaways.  Of course turnout was pretty low.  I've had tons of meetings to attend for the City of late, and it's amazing how little space is available that the City has control over.  They have to find places that are wheelchair accessible, and meet tons of other requirements, so given how many spaces fill up, they take whatever is left over.  Additionally, the thinking is that Kew Gardens is about as central as you can get with a number of subway, local bus and express bus lines nearby.  They had the place set up like Fort Knox.  Took almost 10 minutes to get screened, and me another guy that was part of the folks required to attend for work purposes had to even take off our belts. When we asked where the meeting was being held in the building, no one even knew. Smh

 

I actually was glad it wasn't out in the Rockaways. It took long enough with the QM1 getting there as it was (almost an hour and a half to get to Union Turnpike), so just imagine with the QM16... The QM5 was great going back and I managed to get the same guy I got on the QM1.