‘A game-changer’: Staten Island-Bay Ridge ferry sets sail for first time in six decades

Sixty-one years after the last ferry linking Staten Island and Bay Ridge ended with the opening of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in 1964, ferry service between the two boroughs resumed Dec. 8, with the maiden voyage setting sail at 6:05 a.m.

The St. George route runs about every 37 minutes during peak hours and roughly every 50 minutes during non-peak hours, with stops in western Manhattan at Midtown West/Pier 79 and Battery Park City before reaching Staten Island’s St. George Terminal. Travel time from St. George to Bay Ridge’s ferry slip at the American Veterans Memorial near Owl’s Head Park is approximately 11 minutes. The ferry then continues to the Atlantic Avenue/Pier 6 stop at Brooklyn Bridge Park before its final stop at Pier 11 on Wall Street, where riders can connect to other ferry routes.

More than 60 years after the route was discontinued, a ferry once again connects Staten Island and the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Community members celebrated the new ferry service between Staten Island and Bay Ridge.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

After years of advocacy to reconnect the boroughs by water, lawmakers, transportation advocates and community members marked the relaunch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony before boarding a ferry from Staten Island’s North Shore to Bay Ridge and beyond.

Council Members Kamillah Hanks, who represents Staten Island’s North Shore, and Justin Brannan, whose district includes Bay Ridge, have long championed a waterway connection between the boroughs. Last June, they introduced legislation to establish ferry service between the St. George Terminal and Bay Ridge.

Hanks told Brooklyn Paper the ferry connection was long overdue.

“This has been a huge win for both our boroughs. How we develop Staten Island’s North Shore is through transportation. So this is a huge step, and we are so excited to be back in touch with our sister or brother, however you want to call it, borough,” Hanks said.

Community members celebrated the new ferry service between Staten Island and Bay Ridge.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Council Members Justin Brannan and Kamillah Hanks board the ferry on Monday, Dec. 8, the first day of revamped routes service.

Brannan, a self-proclaimed “ferry champion,” called the new route a “game changer.”

“It’s [also] the quickest way to get from Southern Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan. There’s just no faster way. Reconnecting Staten Island and Bay Ridge, communities that have been connected for generations, is just going to be a really big deal,” Brannan said. “ Next up, we do Coney Island.”

U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, whose district includes Staten Island and Bay Ridge, attended the event along with Assembly Member Charles Fall, Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon and Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella.

Malliotakis highlighted the bipartisan infrastructure bill she supported, which she said will deliver at least $27 billion in hard infrastructure funding to New York state over the next five years. She said the new ferry service gives her another option for reaching her district office in Bay Ridge.

“We’ve been advocating for more ferries and utilizing our waterways as a way to relieve traffic off the roads and give people alternative transportation options. [The ferry] is gonna be a real great addition to our community,” Malliotakis said.

Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and Council Member Kamillah Hanks celebrate the launch of the new ferry service.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Council Members Kamillah Hanks, left, and Justin Brannan have long championed the restoration of ferry service between Staten Island and Bay Ridge.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Staten Island resident Keith Gerald said the ferry would have shortened his commute to Brooklyn Tech when he was a student.

“If [the ferry] was in place when I was going to high school, it might have shaved 20 minutes off of my one hour and 10 minutes,” Gerald said, adding that accessible transportation is important for “hard-working” commuters.

“Staten Island has long been the forgotten borough,” he said. “There are some people that actually want Staten Island to secede from New York City, but it’s programs like this that show the importance of Staten Island.”

Elizabeth Adams, deputy director of Transportation Alternatives, said the new ferry service offers the community more transit options.

“It has been a long time coming,” Adams said. “At Transportation Alternatives, we’ve had a campaign to manifest a ferry from Staten Island to South Brooklyn and just improve ferry connections overall. People deserve more ways to get around, and the ways that work for them, and the ferry is a great option and a really important, vital connection for people to get around the city.”

The Staten Island–Bay Ridge ferry departs on its maiden voyage just after sunrise, reconnecting the two boroughs by water for the first time since 1964.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, Assembly Member Charles Fall and Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

The launch builds on the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s NYC Ferry Optimization Plan and is part of NYC Ferry’s revamped routes schedule, the agency announced last month.

James Wong, executive director of NYC Ferry, said the organization incorporated rider feedback as it redesigned the system, which spans about 70 nautical miles and is the largest passenger-only ferry network in the United States.

“[The Staten Island-Bay Ridge ferry] was one of the things people asked for, and when we reconfigured the routes, we knew we could not only connect it to Brooklyn, but also get it all the way up to Pier 11, so people can connect to all the other routes,” Wong said. “There are a lot of community members who are excited about going between these two areas, so we’re excited to deliver.”

NYC Ferry tickets are available through the NYC Ferry app or vending machines at ferry stops. A one-way ticket costs $4.50. Riders can also purchase a 10-trip pass for $29 or an unlimited two-day ticket for $15. Discounted $1.45 fares are available for verified seniors, people with disabilities, Fair Fares NYC participants and high school students.