Ferry has record amount of passengers

The number of passengers riding the Staten Island Ferry set a record in 2009, with 21 million passengers riding throughout the year. 

Over the past three years, the number of passengers has increased by 10 percent.
There have not been any more ferry trips added since 2005 and there are not any immediate plans to add any more at this time.


The ferry's largest boats, the Newhouse and the Barberi, can hold up to 6,000 passengers each with the total trip time averaging about 25 minutes long.

One thing that keeps passengers riding the ferry is that it is free. The previous price of 50 cents was discontinued in 1997.


The ferry terminals are located at South Ferry in Lower Manhattan near Battery Park and the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island.


Staten Island's express bus services have lost passengers since 2006 with a 4.2 percent drop.


The drop in passengers was blamed on the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 2007 and 2008.

The cost of the express bus increased from $5 to $5.50 per trip. The number of passengers who ride the New York City Transit system has been in decline as well.


The number of subway passengers had decreased in 2009 for the first time since 2003.

In 2009, New York City Transit had 2.31 billion riders in 2009, which is down by 63 million in 2008.