NYC Ferry’s inaugural express service from Manhattan to Brooklyn launches on choppy seas

The NYC Ferry’s first foray into express service between Manhattan and Brooklyn launched Wednesday amid choppy waters and a strong headwind.

Mayor Adams climbed aboard a Manhattan-bound ferry at the Bay Ridge slip around 8 a.m., joining other pols and city officials to kick off a pilot program intended to get commuters from southern Brooklyn to lower Manhattan in just 21 minutes.

Wednesday’s rough seas and high winds slowed the trip to a half hour — but the ferry was still 15 minutes faster than the average subway ride.

Adams called the maiden voyage a success.

“I remember being borough president how I was hearing from the residents of Bay Ridge over and over again: ‘Why can’t we get a ferry? Why can’t we get a ferry?’” the mayor told reporters invited along for the ride. “So this has been on our dream board. Now it’s not a dream. It’s a reality.”

The ferry’s Bay Ridge to Manhattan service was among the first routes when NYC Ferry was unveiled in 2017 by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio.

But the line — its non-express service stops at Sunset Park, Governor’s Island and Red Hook before arriving at Wall Street — has historically had some of the longest travel times in the system.

The base fare is $4. Senior citizens, people with disabilities and participants in the city’s Fair Fares program pay $1.35.

The single-ride fare rose in 2022 amid the release of a scathing city comptroller audit accusing the de Blasio administration of hiding over $200 million in costs.

The fare increase addresses the audit’s fiscal concerns, said Economic Development Corporation President Andrew Kimball.

“We feel like we’re headed in the right direction,” Kimball said. “We’re making progress. And we’re going to continue to look for improvements throughout the year.”

While the express service has been described by the EDC as a “pilot program” rather than a permanent addition to the schedule, a spokesperson for the agency told the Daily News the program has no expiration date.

Kimball’s office has been working to pitch the boats to commuters as an alternative to buses and subways. An EDC survey of ferry riders last year found that more rush hour passengers were using the system to get to work than any other time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Regina Ryan, a Bay Ridge resident onboard the trip Wednesday, called the new service “a game changer” for her commute.

Ryan, who works in downtown Manhattan for a government relations firm, said that while the walk from the Wall St. slip meant her door-to-door commute wasn’t much faster, it was more pleasant.

“Instead of sitting on the bus or subway for an extra 20 minutes, I can walk for 20 minutes through Manhattan,” she told the mayor. “I love it.”