Bloomberg News reports that New York City is inviting bids from service providers for operating its ferry system. It comprises a fleet of 38 boats that play an instrumental role in Mayor Eric Adam’s plan for attracting riders back to this public transportation.
As the system is referred to, NYC Ferry is well-known for its fleet of ferries gliding to and from Manhattan. As many as 6 million travelers use the route every year on this route, with the fleet of ferries covering as much as 70 nautical miles to the five boroughs. The city’s agreement with HNY Ferry LLC, the present operator, is set to expire on September 30th of the next year.
One of the aspects that the officials are looking forward to is the ability of the applicants to create revenue for the unprofitable transit program. About $13 per ferry passenger is the subsidy for every city taxpayer, as per a six-year audit by City Comptroller Brad Lander, which criticized the system for being expensive and managing finances. The report was released in July.
The overseer of NYC Ferry, the city’s Economic Development Corporation, said in a statement that the service provider it selects must be able to deliver in areas related to workforce development, first-class ridership experience, transparency, and revenue generation.
The EDC or the Economic Development Corporation prefers contactless ticketing, better accessibility for people with disabilities, and other improvements throughout the 25 landings, as per the released statement.
Ferry Forward
Bloomberg News also reports that Adams has devoted a lot of attention to the water ferry system, which was a part of the measure for reviving the rider ships in the subways, public transits, and commuter railroads post-pandemic. In July, the mayor unveiled an NYC Ferry Forward plan on September 12th. This initiative will allow access to at least 1 million New Yorkers with low income, people with disabilities, and senior citizens to take the ride one way among the six routes offered by the ferry for about $1.35. This is almost half of the present cost of a full ticket.
Fares for single rides are expected to rise to $4, which is anticipated to have the tourists and users that do not ride frequently shell out the payment for the system. The city assessed the plan in July and expected that it might generate a revenue of approximately $2 million as additional revenue every year.
In January, the winner of the competitive bidding process related to NYC Ferry will be chosen. Making the contract open to bids is part of an agreement signed with the HNY Ferry in 2016. EDC revealed the same in a statement in an email.
