Lawmaker demands return of Far Rockaway shuttle to ferry terminal

[GojiMet86]

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2018/04/11/far-rockaway-shuttle-connect-nyc-ferry-terminal-stacey-pheffer-amato-pushes-for-return

 

Quote

 

Lawmaker demands return of Far Rockaway shuttle to ferry terminal

By Van Tieu  |  April 11, 2018 @7:10 PM

 

A Queens lawmaker is pushing for a shuttle bus, designed for New Yorkers to reach the Far Rockaway New York City Ferry terminal, to be reinstated after it was canned due to low ridership.

State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato demanded on Wednesday for the permanent reinstatement of the Downtown Far Rockaway shuttle bus to the Beach 108th St. terminal.

The service was launched as a three-month pilot program last October, connecting downtown Far Rockaway and Wavecrest Gardens to the ferry. The service ended Jan. 18.

"Transportation has to remain an option for this community, and once we put it out there — the shuttle — we cannot take it away," Amato said. "We have to teach our residents the opportunities they have to get to where they are going."

According to the Economic Development Corporation, less than three percent of Rockaway Ferry riders used the service during the pilot program, and thus the corporation does not have plans to reinstate the shuttle.

 

 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Instead of immediately cancelling the service, why don't they see why people weren't using it?  There were some concerns about it when they talked about where it would run and the importance of it being a quick trip and a seamless trip to and from the Ferry. If that wasn't achieved then that's why it tanked.

[NY1635]

Far Rockaway already has the LIRR over at Nameoke, the at Mott Avenue, and plenty of buses that terminate around Wavecrest/Seagirt which can take them into Mainland Queens, Nassau, and Long Beach. What more do they need?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Just now, NY1635 said:

Far Rockaway already has the LIRR over at Nameoke, the at Mott Avenue, and plenty of buses that terminate around Wavecrest/Seagirt which can take them into Mainland Queens, Nassau, and Long Beach. What more do they need?

What does any of that have to do with the Ferry?  

[NY1635]

27 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

What does any of that have to do with the Ferry?  

They don't need shuttle service because the Q22 is the Wavecrest- Mott Ave - Ferry shuttle. I can only guess the lawmaker wants a shuttle that runs on Seagirt-Rockway Beach Blvd from Wavecrest to the Docks just to avoid the Beach Channel side of the island.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

8 minutes ago, NY1635 said:

They don't need shuttle service because the Q22 is the Wavecrest- Mott Ave - Ferry shuttle. I can only guess the lawmaker wants a shuttle that runs on Seagirt-Rockway Beach Blvd from Wavecrest to the Docks just to avoid the Beach Channel side of the island.

I don't think that's the issue.  This was a big discussion when the Ferry came up because the goal is to make getting to the ferry a seamless process. The Q22 isn't there to be a dedicated ferry shuttle route.  We had a similar issue in my neighborhood.  There is no way in hell that I'd want to be dependent on the Bx7 or Bx10 to get me near any of the Metro-North stations and even with a dedicated shuttle bus there are times when we just make the train.  

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Instead of immediately cancelling the service, why don't they see why people weren't using it?  There were some concerns about it when they talked about where it would run and the importance of it being a quick trip and a seamless trip to and from the Ferry. If that wasn't achieved then that's why it tanked.

Honestly, I didn't even know those shuttle buses went all the way out to Far Rockaway..... That could be part of the problem as well (ignorance of the fact that it even exists)...

1 hour ago, NY1635 said:

Far Rockaway already has the LIRR over at Nameoke, the at Mott Avenue, and plenty of buses that terminate around Wavecrest/Seagirt which can take them into Mainland Queens, Nassau, and Long Beach. What more do they need?

Excessive public transportation isn't the issue here.... Consider the markets being served & how efficiently/inefficiently they're doing so w/ those modes in question.....

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Just now, B35 via Church said:

Honestly, I didn't even know those shuttle buses went all the way out to Far Rockaway..... That could be part of the problem as well (ignorance of the fact that it even exists)...

That was actually one of the sticking points... Was making the buses accessible to the densest parts of the Rockaways.  There weren't that many people that attended the Ferry meetings, but the community itself was very vocal about what they wanted and how the service should run (including the buses). I get the impression that the service simply was poorly marketed.  

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

26 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

That was actually one of the sticking points... Was making the buses accessible to the densest parts of the Rockaways.  There weren't that many people that attended the Ferry meetings, but the community itself was very vocal about what they wanted and how the service should run (including the buses). I get the impression that the service simply was poorly marketed.  

The ferry frequency is hourly, except for a split half-hourly stint during the PM rush. Even though there is a guaranteed connection to the ferry, hourly buses are just not going to cut it. There should be more ferry service (so that more buses can be added), which can help boost overall ridership on the services.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

The ferry frequency is hourly, except for a split half-hourly stint during the PM rush. Even though there is a guaranteed connection to the ferry, hourly buses are just not going to cut it. There should be more ferry service (so that more buses can be added), which can help boost overall ridership on the services.

Well yeah, that's another big problem.  By comparison when the  wanted to get more people in my neighborhood to use Metro-North, it first made sure several shuttle bus routes were set up to facilitate reaching the station and ensure that we caught our train on time.  Then they did away with hourly service off-peak and gave us semi-express trains during the day and late at night. Ferry service should definitely be expanded out there.

[NY1635]

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

Honestly, I didn't even know those shuttle buses went all the way out to Far Rockaway..... That could be part of the problem as well (ignorance of the fact that it even exists)...

Excessive public transportation isn't the issue here.... Consider the markets being served & how efficiently/inefficiently they're doing so w/ those modes in question.....

According to the Ferry's website, it's shuttle terminates at Beach Channel Drive and Beach 35th.  The lawmaker wants it extended over to Mott Avenue to serve Far Rockaway.

https://www.ferry.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Rockaway-Shuttle-Schedule-Effective-04-20-2018.pdf

 

 

[GojiMet86]

The 34th Street shuttle still runs, and it's run by the same guys, TransExpress (the Resort World red buses).

[Gotham Bus Co.]

On 4/12/2018 at 11:31 AM, GojiMet86 said:

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2018/04/11/far-rockaway-shuttle-connect-nyc-ferry-terminal-stacey-pheffer-amato-pushes-for-return

 

 

Can State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato guarantee that people will actually use the bus? Or does she just like spending public dollars to run empty buses?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

15 hours ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

Can State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato guarantee that people will actually use the bus? Or does she just like spending public dollars to run empty buses?

Can you guarantee that you'll use the buses where you live?  Don't be ridiculous. 

 

[Gotham Bus Co.]

10 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Can you guarantee that you'll use the buses where you live?  Don't be ridiculous. 

No, I can't guarantee that. Then again, I'm not the one demanding that buses be restored even though (or maybe because) nobody rode them. She is.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

2 hours ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

No, I can't guarantee that. Then again, I'm not the one demanding that buses be restored even though (or maybe because) nobody rode them. She is.

Then you have your answer.