Rockland Ferry Struggles for Riders
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
HAVERSTRAW — A new commuter ferry has drawn an average of only nine riders a day in its first month. Still, the management says it’s pleased.
New York Water Taxi began running ferries between Rockland County and lower Manhattan on September 4. The 149-passenger boats run twice each morning and twice each evening on weekdays. The trip takes about 90 minutes.
A Water Taxi spokesman, Travis Noyes, says the company is shooting for 100 riders a day after its first year. He says ridership has been as high as 37 people in recent days.
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation estimated the ferry would draw 85 to 175 people per day.
Among the regulars is Philip Clark, who lives in Pomona and works in Brooklyn. He says the ferry trip takes longer than driving, but the calmer commute has changed his outlook “tremendously.”
