To avoid the PATH, will Hoboken commuters pay for pricey ferry service?
NY Waterway Ferry via Wikimedia
As 6sqft reported in April, NY Waterway launched an additional ferry route running from Hoboken to Midtown Manhattan in response to a train derailment and delays at Penn Station. And since Amtrak closed a few tracks for repairs, more commuters have opted to take the scenic ferry as an alternative. While the eight-minute ride was normally only available during transit crisis, it will become a permanent transit option on Sept. 5. And although the ferry is perhaps a quicker and more scenic alternative, it comes with a steep price of $274.50 per month, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Roughly 2,200 passengers take the ferry each day during the week, which takes riders from the Hoboken terminal to Pier 79 at West 39th Street. According to the president of NY Waterway, Arthur Imperatore, ferry users would pay $1.50 more per trip compared to the cost of a 30-day PATH Smart Card and a 30-day MTA MetroCard. He told the WSJ: “You’re always guaranteed a seat on our boats.”
NY Waterway will run three ferries each hour between the NJ and NYC ports during the morning and evening rush hours. Currently, the proposed pricing options for the ferry, which will launch permanently after the Labor Day weekend, include $8 for a single trip and $75 for a 10-trip package.
While being on a boat instead of a crammed PATH car may appeal to some NJ to NYC commuters, others will have trouble swallowing the steep cost. One passenger, Sheryl O’Connell, told the WSJ, that while “it’s like the best eight minutes” of her day, the cost is “just way above” what she can afford.
[Via WSJ]
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