Sea you later
Expanded ferry service hit by constant delays
THE CITY’S waterway is like the subway — delayed.
Mayor de Blasio’s new ferry service has had its ups and downs on the waves, with 20 alerts posted to the @NYCFerry Twitter account announcing delays and trip cancellations since the May 1 launch.
To plug gaps in service, Hornblower, the San Francisco-based company that landed the city’s contract to run the ferry routes, has had to charter an extra boat from NY Waterway — its competitor and a losing bidder for the service.
Commuters who were happy to ditch subway tunnels for the water have noticed boats are arriving off-schedule now that Hornblower is running the East River Ferry, which lowered its fare to $2.75 when it was folded into de Blasio’s citywide ferry service.
“These things used to run like clockwork. I’ve been taking this ferry for four years,” banker Ramine Ziai, 31, said at the Brooklyn dock on N. Sixth St. in Williamsburg. “I used to be early. Now, more often than not, a little late. I don’t know if it has to do with the new company.”
Jillian Cooney, 33, who works in the Financial District at S&P Global, stressed the importance of running the ferries on schedule as her boat, scheduled to depart at 8:14 a.m., pulled up a few minutes late.
“The boats only come every 25 minutes, so you’re really planning your day . . . around the specific times,” Cooney said. “So if you’re even five or 10 minutes late, that could be a big deal, especially in the morning if you have a hard start at 8 or 9.”
Still, like other riders, she was willing to let the new service get its sea legs.
“The older system seemed to be a little bit more reliable, but I’m sure they’re probably still just working out some kinks,” she said.
Hornblower spokesman Josh Knoller said a preliminary look at the data shows a 95% on-time rate. That includes delays out of the company’s control, like President Trump’s visit to New York last week. He declined to say how much it cost to charter another company’s boat.
“We are committed to running regular, reliable and on-time service,” Knoller said.
More detailed statistics on the cause and scope of delays were unavailable.
Opening day for the ferry service was marred by delays, in part caused by a boat that had a malfunctioning sensor. More than a week later, on Tuesday, East River boats were forced to run at slower speeds because of a fluid spill at a waterfront Con Ed facility in Brooklyn.
Hornblower took over the East River Ferry route from Billybey, which contracted with NY Waterway to maintain and operate its boats, in December.
The city spent $21 million to buy out Billybey’s rights to run the East River service, which included $6 million for four of its boats. Two of those older boats are out of service and being repaired, with no estimate for their return to the water.
That gives the ferry service 10 boats, five of them brand-new vessels with amenities like alcohol, coffee and bike racks.
But riders won’t see those amenities on every trip; older boats lack the creature comforts.
An official with the city Economic Development Corp., which oversees the ferry service, said the boats provide extra pickups and keep departures on schedule.
“In its first week of service, NYC Ferry has helped nearly 50,000 New Yorkers get around the city for an affordable price,” said Anthony Hogrebe, spokesman for the economic development agency. “We’re committed to providing riders with high-quality, on-time service, and we’re working with our operator to make things even better.”