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MOBILITYSTATEN ISLAND FERRYEAST RIVER FERRYSTATEN ISLAND FERRY ON TIME PERFORMANCE% ON TIMEFY 2011FY 2012FY 201391%89% 89%NYCDOT operates and maintainsthe nine Staten Island vessel fleetas well as the St. George FerryTerminal on Staten Island, WhitehallFerry Terminal in Manhattan,the City Island and Hart IslandFacilities, and The Battery MaritimeBuilding.Service on the Staten IslandFerry is free and runs 24 hours aday, in 15 minute intervals duringrush hours. It is the only non–vehicular transportation betweenManhattan and Staten Island. Theride is a vital commuter service formillions of New Yorkers, but the 5–mile, 25 minute ride also providesa majestic view of New York Harborfor tourists from all over the world.reached an all–time high in 2012,serving 22 million people, andridership continues to grow. Theagency has been successful atkeeping service reliable despitedeclining city resources. Findinginnovative ways to use state andfederal resources, the agency hasbeen able to plug holes in the citybudget and keep boats runningfrequently and on–time. At thesame time, it has kept on timeperformance steady and foundways to green the ferry fleet.Chapter 16 of the Infrastructuresection below details agency’sefforts to make the Staten IslandFerry fleet one of the greenest inthe nation.Staten Island Ferry ridershipStarted in 2011, the East RiverFerry commuter service has beenwildly successful and offered anew transportation option forwaterfront neighborhoods. Theservice, which connects LongIsland City, Greenpoint, North andSouth Williamsburg and DUMBOwith Downtown and MidtownManhattan, has significantlyoutperformed the City’s originalexpectations. In May 2013, theservice recorded its 2 millionthrider, more than twice the ridershipthat was projected for the fullthree–year pilot period that endsin the summer of 2014. Summerridership increased 43% from thesummer of 2011 to the summerof 2012. The East River Ferryhas proven so popular that in May2012, the City announced thatlarger boats—carrying as many as399 passengers per trip—would beadded to the East River Ferry fleet.The city is working to find a longterm operator for the ferry serviceto make it a permanent option forNew Yorkers.The East River Ferry ismanaged by the city’s EconomicDevelopment Corporation, butDOT plays an important role insiting ferry docks and improvingaccess to the service. Safetyimprovements at the IndiaStreet pier in Greenpoint andtraffic calming and pedestrianimprovements on Old Fulton Stin DUMBO and Brooklyn Heightsensured safe passage to ferrylandings. The initial roll out of DOT’sCitiBike system included stationsat four of the seven East River Ferrylandings and the remaining threeferry landings will receive CitiBikestations in bike share’s next phase.Additionally, CityRacks have beenplaced at all ferry stops.Left:The launch of the Senator John J. Marchi vesselSustainable Streets: 2013 and Beyond81