The Staten Island Ferry provides 20 million people a year (60,000 passengers a day not including weekend days) with ferry service between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan.
The ferry is the only form of direct mass transit between Staten Island and Manhattan. NYC DOT operates and maintains the nine vessel fleet as well as the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island, Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan, the City Island and Hart Island Facilities. Originally started in the 1700s, ferry service was provided by private individuals with small twin mast sailboats called per augers. When Staten Island became part of New York City in 1898, ferry service between St. George and Whitehall was transferred to the city Department of Docks and Ferries. Five new ferries were added, one named for each of the five boroughs.
The Staten Island Ferry is run by the City of New York for one reason: to transport Staten Islanders to and from Manhattan. Yet, the 5 mile, 25 minute ride also provides one of the most majestic views of New York Harbor with near perfect views of The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as well as skyscrapers and bridges of Lower Manhattan .
A typical weekday schedule involves the use of five boats to transport approximately 60,000 passengers daily ,that’s 109 trips a day and 35,000 trips are made annually.
The Manitowoc Marine Group has built 3 new Ferries these ferries will carry 4440 passengers and 30 vehicles each. One of the design goals was to capture the “Old Style” Ferry appearance and ambiance.
The Staten Island Ferry Terminal is located on the tip of southern Manhattan at Whitehall Street and is absolutely FREE.
