De Blasio’s Ferry System Needs 10 Times the Subsidy of Subways, Buses
- Public support for the ferries is costing $10.73 per ride
- High costs and low revenue drive subsidies, CBC report says
Commuters disembark a NYC Ferry at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Photographer: Michael Nagle/BloombergNew York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s system of ferry boats linking Manhattan with transit-poor sections of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx is costing city taxpayers almost $11 per ride, 10 times more than they pay to subsidize subways and buses, according to the Citizens Budget Commission.
The system’s dependence on high taxpayer subsidies comes as city and state officials move toward enacting congestion pricing fees for motorists entering midtown Manhattan. That plan would cost commuters more and could increase demand for mass transit service, including the heavily-subsidized ferries. De Blasio has said he wants the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority to take over and help finance the waterway system.