Disparity in Governors Island Ferry Service for Two Boroughs
At a time when Lower Manhattan ferry service sponsored by the Trust for Governors Island is being enhanced, visitors coming from Brooklyn are being told to walk the plank. The Trust has received State funding for a direct ferry route connecting Brooklyn and Governors Island only through the end of this June, and next year’s budget contains no allocation for such service.
Ferry service to and from Brooklyn and Governors Island will continue to be available via NYC Ferry on its South Brooklyn route. This route includes stops at Brooklyn Bridge Park and Red Hook, as well as Wall Street and other stops in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The ferry operated by the Trust for Governors Island, however, operates only between Brooklyn and Governors Island. It is also free to various classes of riders, free on weekend mornings, and even at full price, a lower fare ($5) round trip than NYC Ferry ($8).
Since 2010, the Trust for Governors Island has offered seasonal weekend ferry service to and from Brooklyn between May and October. This connection has hosted an average ridership of up to 15,000 passengers per month in recent years. In 2021, the Trust for Governors Island expanded the route to include additional stops at Red Hook and Brooklyn Bridge Park. This service will end just before Fourth of July weekend, traditionally the start of the busiest season on Governors Island.
As a measure of the service’s success, State Senator Andrew Gounardes points to statistical data indicating that five of the six most represented zip codes in citywide Governors Island Ferry ridership come from Brooklyn.
Senator Gounardes, who fought to include $625,000 for Trust-sponsored ferry service to Brooklyn in the Senate’s version of the State budget, says, “providing frequent, easily accessible ferry service is crucial to making sure New Yorkers can enjoy all the opportunities Governors Island offers, which is why I’m pushing so hard to ensure ferry funding is included in the final state budget.”
While Brooklyn ferry service hosted by the Trust remains in doubt, service to Lower Manhattan is being improved with the planned debut this summer of New York’s first hybrid-electric ferry. Funded in part by a federal grant, the new ferry cost $30 million and will be able to carry up to 1,200 passengers at a time. It will replace the diesel-powered Lt. Samuel S. Coursen, the Trust’s passenger ferry that has been in continuous use since 1956.