Ferry inefficient!
City needs to take over E. River routes: Stringer
City Controller Scott Stringer thinks New York taxpayers are getting shortchanged by Mayor de Blasio’s beloved NYC Ferry, and he wants the Department of Transportation to look into taking control of the service.
The ferries are managed by the city’s nonprofit Economic Development Corp.. Hornblower, a private company, operates the fleet, and the city reimburses it for the cost of the service, plus a fee it takes off the top.
Hornblower also gets to pocket the money made from the concession stands on the boats, which hawk booze, snacks and assorted products like sunblock and phone accessories.
“The Economic Development Corp.’s contract with NYC Ferry operator Hornblower raises serious questions about the exploding costs and liabilities that the city is choosing to absorb,” Stringer said in a statement Wednesday. “I’m calling on the city Department of Transportation to immediately explore taking over NYC Ferry.”
Stringer’s demand comes less than a week after a report from the nonpartisan Citizens Budget Commission showed the city coughs up $10.73 in subsidies for every ride taken on NYC Ferry’s six routes. A single fare costs $2.75, same as the subway.
Stringer said the DOT’s experience running the Staten Island Ferry gives the department the necessary experience to also run the NYC Ferry.
Economic Development Corp. spokeswoman Stephanie Baez said last week that the high subsidies associated with the NYC Ferry are the product of startup costs.
“The controller should put politics aside and recognize the necessity of expanding public transit for New Yorkers,” said de Blasio spokesman Seth Stein, who added that the city would need to buy the ferryboats to run the service.
Since taking office, de Blasio has greatly expanded the ferry service begun by his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg.
De Blasio added a new route between Wall St. and the Rockaways in Queens in May 2017, and has since ushered in four new routes that run along the East River to waterfront areas from the Bronx to Queens to southern Brooklyn.
Hizzoner has been adamant that the ferry service is a good thing for commuters, despite the fact that it does fewer trips in a year than the subway does on a typical weekday.