Ferry Services
There are several private ferry services that operate in and around New York City. They offer ferry service of interest to both daily commuters and tourists and visitors. Major privately run ferry companies include:
- the BillyBey Ferry Company and NY Waterway who operate several routes from New Jersey to Manhattan;
- SeaStreak, which provides service from Monmouth County to Manhattan;
- New York Water Taxi, which provides service from Brooklyn and Queens to Manhattan;
- Liberty Water Taxi which provides service from Liberty State Park and Jersey City to the World Financial Center.
For a complete list of local operators, as well as their respective schedules, click the link: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/ferintro.shtml
The busiest ferry in the United States is the Staten Island Ferry, which annually carries over 19 million passengers on the 5.2 mile (8.4 km) run between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan. Service is provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and takes approximately 25 minutes each way. Each day approximately five boats transport almost 65,000 passengers during 104 boat trips. Over 33,000 trips are made annually. The Ferry has remained free of charge since 1997. The charge for vehicles is $3, however, vehicles have not been allowed on the Ferry since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Bicycles are allowed on the lower level for free, as well.
Take a ride from Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan, located near Battery Park, to Staten Island and see beautiful New York Harbor. It may well be the best tourist value in town and enjoy our new ferry terminals as well!
Of course you should visit both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at least once in your life. If you have a full day to spare, you are in luck, because one round trip ferry ticket includes visits to both Liberty and Ellis islands. Note: there can be long lines and waiting periods in the busy summer months. If you must visit at this time, plan for a wait of an hour or more. Happily, the wait can be an amusing one as ingenious New Yorkers entertain the crowd.