Results tagged “ferry”

Just months after the city announced a far-reaching proposal to expand ferry service and subsidize boat operators until 2010, it looks like the plan has run aground again. Tom Fox, president of New York Water Taxi, told the Times that he has not been able to reach an agreement with the city about continuing a much-needed $900,000 per year subsidy. Without the government cash, which keeps him afloat during the winter when ridership plummets by 50 percent, he says he might be forced to cancel East River ferry service for the third time in four years.

Brooklynites rejoice: the new free ferry between your borough and Governors Island, that has been in the works for over a year, will be in operation come June 6th. Lost City points to a letter sent out by State Senator Daniel Squadron, stating he'll be on the inaugural launch this Saturday at 11 a.m. "The ferry will leave Fulton Ferry Landing every hour, every Saturday when there is programming scheduled for Governors Island. It will stop at Governor's Island and Battery Park in Manhattan." So it should be smooth sailing for Brooklynites who wants to attend this year's Figment extravaganza, which takes place on the weekend of June 12th and will include the unveiling the new mini golf course. And don't forget about all the other events the island has to offer this summer, including a new Water Taxi Beach of its own (opening on July 4th).

When US Airways Flight 1549 crash- (or splash-) landed in the Hudson River on January 15, the first boats to arrive and offer help were NY Waterway ferries, which ultimately took 142 of the 155 passengers and crew from the cold water. Now, the ferry company says it may go bankrupt by the end of the year. And, Crain's reports, "Its situation is so precarious that the company is preparing a lawsuit against US Airways to recoup the expenses it incurred during the rescue effort."

Soon, we'll all be living like pirates. The NY Times jumps into the latest trend of city residents living on boats...actually, they did that earlier this year, but those suckers paid to live on a boat. The newest crop of sea dwellers are l-i-v-i-n for free. The paper describes the 6,000 square-feet of space, which boasts 15-foot ceilings, views of the Manhattan skyline, giant roofdecks and no neighbors (and yes, there's internet). Don't worry, there's a downside (or seven), including no insulation, no mail delivery, no shower, and a few more missing luxuries. What is this real estate find exactly?

This particular residence once served as a 650-passenger ferry shuttling people between Martha’s Vineyard and New Bedford, Mass., for $17 round-trip. Since March 2007, the ship, now moored in a spot about a 10-minute boat ride from Midtown, has become home for a small group of secretive and resourceful people looking for an inexpensive, unorthodox place to stay.

The exact location is a secret, as is the owner of the ship—a 29-year-old real estate investor—due to its "legally murky" status and the fact that the owner doesn't, you know, pay docking fees to anyone. There are currently 400 on a waiting list to get permits in order to do exactly what this crew is doing (but legally). One resident, who pays by helping out, says, “It’s currently like ‘Mad Max’ except we don’t have shotguns.” So how long until the Coast Guard pans out to find this bunch?

If you thought your commute was rigorous, check this out: NYC school teacher Sean Patch commutes from NJ to Manhattan via kayak. Patch explained to WCBS880 that taking the ferry was expensive, so now he kayaks across the Hudson, radioing ferries to let them know he's there and navigating around other vessels, like oil tankers. The algebra teacher incorporates his unconventional commute into his class: "Mr. Patch kayaks to work. He bought the kayak for $850. He no longer has to pay for the ferry $7.75 each way. How much has he saved?" And FYI, the Downtown Boathouse offers winter kayaking classes in the Riverbank State Park swimming pool.

Last night the Community Board 1 held a meeting which doubled as an awards ceremony for the SI Ferry workers who saved Hannah Upp. The teacher who went missing from August 29th to September 16th was eventually found floating in the New York Harbor by the ferry workers, and last night she went to honor them herself. During her surprise appearance, she told the SI Advance, "The evening is really about them. I am recovering and grateful for all the support." She was last heard from earlier this month when she updated her Facebook status. Upp also privately visited the men last week, and one of them, Captain Covella, said last night that he "was honored that God chose me and my crew to fulfill their prayers."

Well, we had a good run. Brooklyn commuters who've been enjoying a free ride on the IKEA Water Taxi that runs between Red Hook and Wall Street are going to have to make some adjustments: The Swedish retailer will be reducing hours on the service, which since June has been running every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Starting October 1st, the boat will run every 40 minutes, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays.

The ferries to Fire Island are seeking an immediate fare increase that would raise the cost up to 25 percent, raising one-way fares from $8 to $10, and round-trip from $15 to $18. Newsday reports that ferry reps of the "Fire Island Ferries Inc. of Bay Shore and the Davis Park Ferry Co. of Patchogue told county legislators this week that they will lose more than $150,000 each this year and will need the fare hikes to avoid doing the same next summer." To counter that, a rep from the Legislature's Budget Review Office claims the ferries made more than $1 million in 2007, thanks in part to a previous fare increase of 10%, and is suggesting another hike not be granted before the end of September. In order to raise the fares the private ferry companies will need the county's approval first.

The free coach style shuttle buses that deliver riders from two Brooklyn subway stops to the new Red Hook IKEA are filling up with passengers who never set foot inside the Swedish retailer. "I'd say before one o'clock, about half the riders from Smith and Ninth Street don't even go into IKEA," one bus driver told the Daily News, adding that many riders are going to a local methodone clinic for treatment. And, as predicted, freeloaders are pulling the same move with the free Water Taxi between IKEA and lower Manhattan, an area also renowned for its methadone.